The Gray Winged Creature
by Seasnake
Summary: The cult that killed Ciel has created a girl that is half-angel and half-demon to end the world. Aliya comes to live at the Phantomhive house because it was Sebastian's blood used to create her. Now Sebastian has to raise a daughter he doesn't want.
1. A street urchin

Chapter 1: A Street Urchin

The day had begun with sunshine and fair weather. However, by mid afternoon a torrential downpour materialized out of no where. This weather made one demon butler very unhappy. Sebastian Michaelis butler of the Phantomhive household had originally planned on returning to the mansion for dinner. Yet, as the rain continued he realized that was impossible and was forced to purchase his Young Master food from a tavern. The other servants were left at home to eat what ever charcoal concoction Bard cooked up.

Few things annoyed Sebastian more than the destruction of his schedule. So as he prepared the carriage for the trip back to Phantomhive manor he wore a very bitter face. The thirteen year old Ciel Phantomhive was also irritated that business in town took longer than planned. The boy considered mocking his butler for miscalculating the weather but decided against it. He wisely got into the covered carriage without a word. Once his master was warm and dry Sebastian climbed into the driver's seat. The chill wind didn't bother him but the heavy droplets of water made visibility low, even for someone like him. At first the horses were reluctant to travel but Sebastian eventually got them moving. Thunder and lightning spooked the horses but not nearly as much as the red glowing eyes of their driver.

The trip home dragged on forever. The young earl sat comfortably unconcerned as he thought over the day's business. Sebastian did not doubt his ability to drive safely through the storm but he mentally fumed at the inconvenience. Their rout home included traveling over a bridge, this was nothing unordinary. Ciel lazily stared out the window to watch the turbulent river. Then something caught his eye. A figure appeared out of the gloom. The small human stood very close to the edge of the bridge, on the other side of the safety rail.

"Sebastian stop!" Ciel called before opening the carriage door. A flood of cold water hit his face as he started to climb out.

"Young Master?" Sebastian jerked his head around in surprise. He pulled on the rains to halt the carriage.

"What are you doing?" The boy ignored the rain and approached the figure.

"Huh?" The stranger answered as if just noticing Ciel's presence.

"Why are you out here?" Ciel demanded, "Her majesty frowns on suicide."

"Huh?" the stranger said again, "suicide? You think I was going to jump?"

"Young Master, you are getting wet." Sebastian approached Ciel and draped a coat over the boy's head. "And as for you," the butler took a step towards the stranger, "stop upsetting my master." He reached over and grasped the small figure's shoulders.

"Don't touch me! Put me down!" The stranger objected as Sebastian lifted him over the rail and onto the roadway.

The stranger seemed to be about the same height as Ciel, which was pretty short. He wore brown pants, gray shirt, large hat that hid his hair, and a threadbare jacket. The entire outfit was made of cheap fabric and was, of course, soaking wet.

"What do you want?" The strange boy squirmed away from Sebastian.

"I'm saving your life." Ciel retorted. The street boy glared at him.

"I wasn't going to jump!" he insisted.

"Take him to Scotland Yard, an orphanage, or something," the earl said to his butler.

"I can not do so at this moment, my lord. My first priority is to get you home safely," Sebastian explained.

"Fine. Then bring him along for now." Ciel decided and headed back the carriage.

"What?" the stranger snapped then glanced around as if planning to make a run for it. Sebastian foiled this plan by taking the boy's shoulders and guiding him into the carriage. The street boy jerked away from the butler but took the offer of getting out of the rain. Sebastian sighed, another inconvenience, then mounted the driver's seat. He coaxed the horses into continuing their trip home. The demon paid attention to the road but kept an ear open to hear the passengers' conversation.

Ciel sat in silence for a moment and watched the newcomer. He wondered if saving this obviously poor boy was worth the trouble. Well, the queen didn't need bodies polluting the river and taking care of the visitor would be Sebastian's problem.

"Why were you on that bridge?" Ciel asked, hoping to make the trip less boring.

"I wasn't there to jump," the stranger said again, "I just like the rain."

"You were standing, alone, on a bridge at night in the middle of a storm to enjoy the weather?" Ciel asked unbelievingly.

"Yes." The stranger leaned back against the upholstery.

"_The seats are wet; Sebastian's not going to like that,"_ the earl thought.

"Who are you?" the passenger asked.

"Earl Ciel Phantomhive," he didn't see any problem with telling this person. There was nothing a street child could do to hurt him.

"Earl?" the stranger repeated. He recognized the title but not the name.

"Where would you like my butler to escort you?" Ciel asked out of curiosity.

"The orphanage is fine," the stranger shrugged, "I just came from there."

"Then why were you going to kill yourself?" Ciel wanted to know.

"I wasn't going to jump!" the stranger snapped.

"Of course," the earl sighed. The street boy crossed his arms and stared out the window. Obviously, he had no intention to talk with Ciel further.

The two rode the rest of the way in silence. By the time the carriage arrived at the Phantomhive house it was very late and all four servants had assembled by the front door. When the horses pulled up they hurried to help the master inside. They were confused by the stranger but didn't ask until everyone was standing in the entrance hall.

"Is this a friend of yours, Young Master?" asked Maylene, the red head maid with opaque looking glasses.

"No, just some street urchin. Sebastian will take her to the orphanage momentarily." Ciel shrugged out of his wet coat.

"Actually, Young Master, I will have to attend to that after you go to bed." Sebastian handed the soaked clothes to the adorable blond gardener, Finny. The stranger eyed the servants suspiciously. He nervously backed away from Bard, the tall cook with blast goggles. Tanaka waddled away caring coats.

"Ugh." Ciel placed his forefinger on his head. "Just let her stay the night then. The storm is getting worse anyway."

"Why are you calling me 'her'?" the stranger asked, trying to sound offended.

"A boy would have taken his hat off," the earl told her. The stranger smiled and laughed slightly. She grabbed her hat with a slender hand and pulled the wet cloth off of her head.

"Heh, I guess I'm no good as an actress." Jet black hair appeared and fell to about her pale face. She shook a few water droplets out of the straight and silky strands.

"Huh, why are you dressed as a boy?" Bard asked.

"Girls get more attention on the streets," the light skinned girl answered simply.

"Put her in the basement or something and give her a change of clothes. Then, take her to an orphanage once the storm stops," Ciel ordered the black clad butler.

"As you wish," Sebastian bowed.

"Would you like boys' clothes or a dress?" Ciel asked, slightly mockingly, to the visitor.

"Either," the girl replied, "whatever you have that fits me."

The next morning dawned when the skies were still gray with rain. The visitor had spent the night sharing Maylene's room. She hadn't minded sleeping on the floor. The black haired girl had been provided with a set of old brown clothes. The shirt and pants were oversized on her skinny figure. She wore her damp hat from last night but didn't tuck her hair under it. Her black hair hung just above her shoulders in a sloppy style that looked as if it had been hastily cut with a knife.

"Good morning," Bard greeted her as he entered the pallor. The visitor seated herself on one of the overstuffed chairs. She perched on the back of the chair and rested her bare feet on the seat cushion.

"Hello," she answered politely.

"Y'know, I forgot to ask your name," Bard said cheerfully.

"Oh, what is it?" Maylene wondered.

"Does it matter?" the girl responded stubbornly.

"Is it a boy name?" Bard teased.

"No, my mother knew I was a girl when she named me." The stranger tried to ignore the curious faces of the three servants. "Fine," she surrendered, "my name is Aliya."

"A-lee-ya?" Finny repeated.

"Wow, such a pretty name," complemented Maylene.

"Well, Miss Aliya," Sebastian entered the room, "in a civilized household we keep our feet on the floor." The girl ignored him entirely and instead greeted Ciel as he followed the butler.

"Morning, earl. The storm is dying down. Just give me a moment to fetch my shoes and I'll leave," she told him. Aliya jumped down from her elevated seat, a bit too nimbly.

"I'll have a word with you first," Ciel said solemnly. Sebastian quickly shooed the servants out of the room and locked the door. Aliya watched him suspiciously. "Before I can let you leave, I need to know what manner of creature you are and why you are in England." The young earl stared at the strange girl carefully. Last night Sebastian had warned him that something was off.

"Oh?" the girl's eyes narrowed, "what do you think I am?"

"Something I've never seen before. You're certainly not human. Yet, neither are you a demon or angel." Sebastian stood by his master and examined the stranger.

Aliya looked hard at the butler, she could feel nothing but dark power emitting from him. But Ciel was human, something she could understand. She could sense that underneath the hard exterior he was a decent person. Perhaps if she told these two the truth they could help her. She had no where else to go. She might as well take a chance.

"You are right," she sighed, "I'm both." Aliya clasped her hands together over her chest as if in prayer. She closed her eyes and popped her shoulders forward. This unfolded two gray feathered wings from her back. The appendages appeared from her back but somehow didn't rip her clothes as they came out of her flesh. The girl sighed contently as she stretched her wings but Sebastian was taken back. He quickly positioned himself between the stranger and his Young Master. Ciel had expected something like giant wings to appear but Sebastian's reaction surprised him.

"Gray," the demon butler muttered, "an angel bears white wings of purity and a demon the black of sin. You claim to be both? A creature like that could never be born." Sebastian's eyes glowed red.

"I wasn't born. I was created. They made me using forbidden magic that fused the powers of heaven and hell together." Aliya crossed her arms over her chest and tried to explain. She held her wings comfortably, very used to having them in the open.

"Who's 'they'?" Ciel asked calmly.

"An angel, I presume. That would be the only being with power over life," Sebastian said.

"My mother," Aliya nodded. "And you," she looked at Sebastian, "you're a demon? I've never seen one before."

"Right now I'm just one hell of a butler to the Phantomhive house," he joked.

"He works as my butler in exchange for my soul," Ciel interrupted. He left out any more details about the contract.

"A demon contract? My mother told me what that was," Aliya remembered.

"I fail to understand what a messenger of God would want with a half-demon," Sebastian returned to questioning the girl.

At the mention of the angel, the girl dug her finger nails into her arm, "I don't know what her agenda is, but it involves using me as a weapon."

"So that's why were on the bridge." Ciel recognized the pain in her face.

"I wasn't going to jump! And even if I did it wouldn't have killed me. I've tried," said the girl.

"What I meant was; you're a runaway," the earl corrected.

"My escape was mostly luck; I got past her human guards. Then I ran to the largest city to hide." Aliya glanced at the floor.

"How old are you?" Ciel asked on impulse.

"According to my mother, my body is that of an eleven year old. Even though I don't think I've been alive that long. Not that I had very good time perception while locked in a church," Aliya muttered.

"An angel alone couldn't create such a powerful creature," Sebastian continued to consider. "Who helped your mother?" he asked with an insensitive voice. Aliya paused for a moment before answering.

"A cult of humans,"

"A religious cult? That was what I expected," Sebastian continued bluntly. Ciel's eye widened at the mention of a cult.

"Describe them," the demon butler demanded, "perhaps they had a symbol?"

"Yes… just this." Aliya reluctantly rolled up her right sleeve. Etched into the flesh of her arm was a familiar design.

"Th…That's…" Ciel pointed, suddenly startled. He knew that symbol, it was the same one branded onto his back. That meant the cult that killed him had created the gray winged girl. His surprise quickly turned to anger. An angel, her mother, was responsible for what happened to him?

Aliya saw Ciel's face contort with rage. She didn't need her sixth sense to recognize his hostility. Even more frightening was the man with narrowed red eyes that fed off the boy's anger. _"I've made more enemies,"_ she thought. Aliya felt neither surprise nor sadness by these events. The gray winged girl turned on her heals and sprinted. Aliya blew past the front doors as she started to flap her wings. She leapt off the front steps and flew.

"Young Master," Sebastian warned. He glanced to the boy wondering if his orders were to kill, capture, or follow.

"Catch her!" Ciel yelled. The moment the words left his mouth Sebastian disappeared.

Sebastian ran as fast as he could but the girl was much quicker than he anticipated. She had darted out of the room faster than Ciel could watch. She had demon speed and a few seconds head start. Sebastian reached the front doors before they had time to swing shut. He stood in the doorway searching for her. He scanned the skies but rain and thick clouds made sight impossible. Aliya was gone.

"Damn," Sebastian held his head with a sigh. That was the third uncompleted order in less than 24 hours.


	2. The Messanger Demon

**Seasnake:** **Alright, here's chapter two. This chapter is mostly explanation. I'm not trying to drown this fanfic in OC's. But the characters in chapters 2 and 3 are minor and were necessary for the plot to make sense.**

Several weeks passed after the disappearance of Aliya and life at the Phantomhive house returned to normal. Thirteen year old Ciel was distraught but not particularly surprised to learn that an angel led the cult. Sebastian did not seem worried about fighting an angel so Ciel assumed he could handle it. The young Earl Phantomhive quickly became to preoccupied with organizing a new branch of his business to worry about Aliya.

The demon butler was not concerned with the new threat. He had encountered angels before and had been underwhelmed by their fighting strength. He still believed hunting down all humans that had a hand in the death of the Phantomhive family would be more challenging. If he could complete that obstacle, than no angel would stop him from claiming Ciel's soul. Still, something about the gray winged creature put him on edge.

Almost a month after Aliya's visit, life at the manor continued on schedule. It was early spring and the weather was beautiful which made the humans happy. Sebastian was also in good spirits because nothing had disturbed his routine since that rainy night and the servants had destroyed surprisingly little. Finny was outside enjoying the nice weather and trimming hedges. Fortunately, this was a task he could do safely. Maylene was sweeping, with a broom instead of a mop this time. Bard was happily cleaning the oven. Dealing with machinery was something he could actually do. The eldest servant, Tanaka, was sitting in the corner drinking tea, as always. And the master of the house was hard at work in his study reviewing plans to expand in the food industry.

On this pleasant day Sebastian kept a smile on his face as he prepared afternoon tea. It had taken over three years of labor but he had successfully turned the Phantomhive household into a well oiled machine. Feeling proud of himself, more so than usual, he took the tea trolley to Ciel's study.

As Sebastian made tea, Ciel sat at his desk reading over some papers. Then a tapping suddenly distracted him. The boy glanced around irritably, but instead of a servant he saw a large bird outside the window. The animal was perhaps two feet tall with a long slender neck not counting its tail feathers. Its plumage was mostly black with beautiful highlights of orange and yellow. There was no bird like it native to England.

"What?" Ciel stood up and walked to the glass. The bird tapped the window pane with its beak again as it watched him. The boy slid the latch but hesitated before opening the window.

"Young Master, I've brought afternoon tea." Sebastian knocked on the study door. Ciel was about to answer when the window burst open. The intruder bumped into Ciel and made him stumble over. The earl's bottom landed on the carpet in a very undignified manner. Ciel looked up from his spot on the floor to glare at the invader, but he didn't see a bird. Instead a young woman in an outlandish feathered dress stood in the study. She had ankle high black leather boots and fishnet stockings under a black, orange, and yellow dress. The skirt was cut short in the front and fell in a trail of feathers down her back. The young woman tucked a strand of her long and curly bright orange hair behind an ear. She had pale skin, yellow eyes, and black finger nails. Ciel could tell right away she was demon.

"Young mas…" Sebastian opened the study door but froze when he saw the woman. The feathered home invader paid him no notice and pulled a scroll out of a mail bag. Ciel blinked, he hadn't noticed the black silk purse a moment before.

"Letter for…" the woman began to read than paused. "Oh, I hate English names," she complained. "Seb, Sebastion. Mish, Mich, Micheles?"

"Sebastian Michaelis," the demon stepped into the room wearing a very annoyed expression.

"Oh there you are!" The woman said happily. "What kind of name is that anyway? You let the human pick a name for you, didn't you? That is why I would never let a human pick my name. It would end up being something stupid like, Sebastion or Grenznaio," she laughed.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian's words chilled the air. The female demon stopped babbling and frowned at him.

"Gee, why would Messenger Demon Meraiah come to the house of a demon? Maybe I have a letter to deliver?" she mocked him.

Sebastian stepped around the guest and helped Ciel off the floor. As the boy stood Meraiah's face lit up.

"Wow, I guess it's true what they say. The strongest demons get dibs on all the good souls." She said gleefully. Sebastian glared at her and led Ciel out of the room.

"But," the boy began to protest.

"Just a moment, Young Master," Sebastian closed Ciel out of the study then turned to speak with the messenger demon.

"I thought I left instructions that I was not to be disturbed while under contract," he snapped at her.

"You did," Meraiah nodded.

"Then why are you here?" Sebastian gave her a menacing look.

"Don't shoot the messenger! I just do as I'm told." The woman backed a few steps away from him. "And don't threaten me, I work directly under Master Bookkeeper," she warned.

"I know," Sebastian said ominously. Meraiah stuck her tongue out at Sebastian, a demon that was much stronger than her. Her rude action didn't stop his threatening stare.

"I'm here to deliver an urgent summons from Master Bookkeeper." The woman held up a small scroll.

"Summons?" Sebastian asked.

"Yep, highest priority and effective immediately. He wants to see you in his office as soon as possible." Meraiah flicked the scroll across the room. The black haired demon caught it with ease and unrolled the parchment. Meraiah rocked back and forth on her heels as he scanned the mail.

"This doesn't give a reason," Sebastian observed.

"He hasn't told anyone," the bird woman shrugged then smirked mischievously. "But from the whispering I heard; it has something to do with that gray winged creature. After all, you were the one to report it."

"I suppose so," Sebastian admitted. He tossed the scroll away, once discarded the paper burst into flames and designated. "Why are you still here?" he demanded.

"I need your response," Meraiah smiled.

"I'll be there momentarily," Sebastian told her.

"Don't take too long. Master Bookkeeper is in a particularly fowl mood today." Meraiah warned before disappearing out the open window.

Sebastian re-latched the window behind her. "You can come in now," he said. Ciel, who had been eavesdropping, opened the study doors.

"What was that about?" he asked the butler.

"I'll explain while you eat," Sebastian smiled. Ciel sat in the chair behind his desk as Sebastian poured him a cup of tea.

"As you heard, that was Meraiah. She is what you humans call a mail carrier. Delivering letters allows her several privileges, that's why she is so haughty for a weak demon," he scoffed.

"I assume her boss is this Master Book," Ciel began but Sebastian cut him off.

"Young Master, you are a human. I recommend that you avoid referring to demons by name," he warned with his usual smug smile. Ciel looked irritated but stayed silent.

"Master Bookkeeper is the lord historian. He records all happenings as well as prophecies and omens. However, his most important job is keeping record of all contracts." Sebastian explained while he cut a piece of cake.

"Contracts, that means?" Ciel glanced up at the demon.

"But of course. Our contract is completely binding, so naturally a record of our agreement must be kept somewhere," he said.

"Hmm," Ciel stabbed a fork into his cake. "How did she know about Aliya?"

"I filed a report. I did not think it would interest you."

"What kind of report?" The boy glared at him.

"A half-demon-half-angel is a creature of lore. If any demon sees something that could be a threat to Hell, one is obliged to inform their fellow demons. I simply sent a notice to warn others that such a creature excited on Earth. I did not think you would mind," Sebastian explained.

"Makes sense," Ciel admitted then ate the rest of his cake in silence.

"When will you return?" the boy asked after clearing his plate. Sebastian opened his pocket watch to check the time.

"I don't know the nature of my summons so I can not be sure. Still, I will return as quickly as possible." He picked up the dishes and continued to talk. "If I am away too long, you may be left with Bard's cooking for dinner." Sebastian started to walk out the door than added an afterthought. "Oh, and Young Master," he smiled at the boy, "don't call for me unless there is an emergency. It would look very bad if I had to run out on Master Bookkeeper to help a human."


	3. Meeting with Master Bookkeeper

Sebastian arrived outside Master Bookkeeper's tower almost half an hour after receiving the summons. He had told the servants some excuse about business in town before leaving. He hoped that he could return to the mansion quickly and prepare something for the evening meal. Sebastian ran over dinner options in his mind as he entered the tower. The interior was completely made of black stone and his boots made a clicking sound as he walked.

"There you are," a cracked voice called to him. One of the demon secretaries for Master Bookkeeper ran over to him.

"Your currant name is Sebastian Michaelis, correct?" the secretary in a blue and black uniform asked him.

"Yes."

"Good, this way. The master is waiting for you." The short demon scampered down a hallway. Sebastian was surprised; normally one had to wait several hours for an audience with the lord historian. Perhaps he would return in time to make dinner after all. A few of the other secretaries gave him strange knowing looks as he passed. One uniformed male chuckled in his throat.

The secretary led him through the grand building before coming to a halt in front of a huge set of doors. Sebastian glanced around. This was not the place Master Bookkeeper met demons with everyday needs. He sensed something was afoot but didn't have time to ask before the secretary opened the doors. Sebastian folded his black wings into his back and returned to his human form. It was considered very rude to speak with Master Bookkeeper while at full power.

"Eh?" the massive demon's voice resonated around the room. Master Bookkeeper was not particularly humanoid in form. Instead he looked similar to a mix between a dragon, goat, and hawk. The room was very dimly lit making it hard to see the demon as he sat in his high judge's chair surrounded by mountains of books and paperwork.

"You summoned me, lord?" Sebastian bowed respectfully. The secretary closed the doors behind him.

"About time you got here," Master Bookkeeper grumbled.

"My apologies, sir,"

"Save it," the huge demon snapped, "this matter is far too important." He sighed and dropped his pen back into its inkwell. "I prefer if things discussed in this room remain confidential. Talking about such things could lead to hysteria."

"Yes, sir," Sebastian looked up at the huge demon, wondering what was so important.

"Tell me, youngster, have you heard of 'The Gray Winged Prophecy'?" Master Bookkeeper questioned.

"I heard it a long time ago. I do not recall much of it," Sebastian admitted.

"The prophecy was written by the most reliable future seer in history. As well as, repeated by many others. So we can assume that it is true. The prophecy says that if a gray winged creature is ever created than it must not be destroyed or another will take its place." Master Bookkeeper rested his chin on his hand. "If the creature is raised by its angel parent, than it will become a powerful agent of purity with immunity to all the powers of hell. However, if it is raised by its demon parent, than it will grow to become a mighty demon with the power to corrupt any soul. Obviously, we want the latter."

"What if it were left to its own devices?" Sebastian wondered.

"According to the prophecy, if left without guidance it could break down the walls of good and evil. Naturally we don't want this either," the bookkeeper added.

"Master Bookkeeper, I fail to see why you called me here," said Sebastian.

"Have you lost a limb recently?" the historian asked abruptly.

"What?" Sebastian was confused by the question.

"Have you misplaced a limb?" he repeated.

"Yes, a few months after I entered my current contract. There was an accident and it was easier to get my right leg cut off than display inhuman abilities to bystanders," Sebastian recalled.

"Uh huh, and what did you do with it?"

"Demon flesh decays rapidly on Earth. So, I left it and grew a new one." Sebastian didn't see where the conversation was going.

"I see," Master Bookkeeper removed his pen and wrote something down. Sebastian continued to watch him with a confused look.

"Youngster, you know that the gray winged creature was created through a ritual, correct?" the lord historian asked.

"…Yes."

"And this ritual would require a large amount of demon flesh and blood. Like a leg for example." Master Bookkeeper gave a wave and a side door opened. A secretary entered the room leading a prisoner. Aliya had her hands chained together and wore a simple long black dress. She did not look happy to be there and even less thrilled to see Sebastian.

"Are you suggesting, that she was created with my blood?" Sebastian demanded after a moment's pause.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm telling you that she has half of your genes. This is your daughter," Master Bookkeeper said.

"That is not possible," Sebastian growled. He glared at the girl. He didn't want a child. Especially one thrust upon him like this, or one that had gray wings. She wasn't even a proper demon!

"She looks exactly like you," Master Bookkeeper said irritably. It was true; she had the same hair, skin tone, and shape to her face. Even Aliya's eyes glowed red in the same hue as Sebastian's.

"Her eyes weren't red before," he continued to argue.

"She hid them. Tell him why," Master Bookkeeper ordered the child.

Aliya sighed; ever since her capture two weeks ago demons had pestered her to retell this story. Apparently they thought it was funny. "My mother used to hit me and call me ugly. She made me hide my eyes because I looked too much like my 'bastard father'," she recited and turned her face away so she wouldn't have to look at Sebastian. As for Sebastian, he was trying very hard to remain calm. He took a moment to make sure his voice was even before speaking again.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes," the lord historian nodded, "I ran countless tests, there is no doubt you are her biological father."

"Do you expect me to raise her?" Sebastian asked spitefully.

"Of course."

"I'm sure there is someone who could do a better job than, myself," he tried to argue.

"According to the prophecy, and common sense, the task is yours," Master Bookkeeper said cheerfully.

"I really don't think I'm the fatherly type. Can't you find someone who wants this creature?" he reasoned. Aliya fidgeted, she knew she wasn't wanted by anyone.

"Nonsense! According to your records, you exceed at anything you try your hand at, even among demons. I'm sure raising a child won't be much of a challenge." Master Bookkeeper tapped a piece of parchment on his desk.

Sebastian sighed and put a hand to his forehead, he couldn't argue with that. "I really can't take this responsibility," he insisted, "I'm residing on Earth at the moment."

"Exactly. That is the best place for her. She can't be safe around other demons with those gray wings." The lord historian gestured at the feathered appendages coming out of Aliya's back. "Even her finger nails are gray instead of black."

"Sir, I'm in a contract," Sebastian pointed out.

"Oh, I see, why didn't you say so?" Master Bookkeeper produced a thick ledger and started to flip to a page. "If time is the issue, I'll just terminate your currant contract." Sebastian's eyes widened. "That way you will have plenty of time to dedicate to your daughter," Master Bookkeeper said with a smug grin.

"On second thought," Sebastian growled, "I'm sure I can handle it," he ended with glare at the lord historian. Picking a fight with the ancient demon was suicide but Sebastian was tempted to try it anyway.

"I thought so," Master Bookkeeper nodded to his secretary. The demon freed Aliya from her chains and gave her a brisk shove in Sebastian's direction. She stumbled a few steps closer to her father but still didn't look him in the face. Sebastian stared down at her, not trying to keep the contempt out of his eyes. He didn't want this girl to be associated with him but had no choice in the matter.

"Name?" Master Bookkeeper said in an official voice.

"Aliya, isn't it?" Sebastian bluntly asked the girl.

"My mother gave me that name," she muttered.

"In that case, keep it," Sebastian said indifferently. Aliya gave him an angry look. She had been hoping that he would give her a new name, but that obviously wasn't going to happen.

"Age?" Master Bookkeeper wrote down her name than read off the second question. "Let's see, her body is that of an 11 year old human but she has been alive about three years," the lord historian answered his own question and wrote something down. "Family title?"

"Michaelis for now," Sebastian answered.

"Alright then, she is in your care." Master Bookkeeper closed his ledger. "I'll send Meraiah to check on your progress from time to time. Just to make sure that you are raising a proper demon. That is all," he said with finality to his voice.

"By your leave, Master Bookkeeper," Sebastian grudgingly bowed. He gave a parting angry glare to the lord historian. Then he grasped a hold of Aliya's arm and took her out of the room.

Sebastian stormed towards the exit pulling Aliya behind him. He mentally fumed at his mistake. If he hadn't left a sample of his blood on Earth then Aliya would be someone else's problem. As he passed the main hallway, one of the secretaries called to him.

"Cute kid, the mother must be quite a looker, huh?" a uniformed man mocked. Sebastian paused long enough to rip off the weak demon's head then left the tower.

"Slow down," Aliya pleaded. "Stop it you're hurting me!" she whined as Sebastian led her back to Earth. The girl tried to pry his fingers off her arm but he was several times stronger than her. Sebastian tightened his vice grip on her thin arm as he tried to regain his composure. Being forced to care for a child was the last thing he had expected.

"Ow, I'm not kidding!" Aliya yelled at him. He released her once they were standing by the road that led to Phantomhive manor. Aliya backed away from him rubbing her bruised arm.

"It seems that I am to take care of you," Sebastian addressed the girl.

"Well, for the record, I'm not happy that you turned out to be my father either," she rudely told him.

"I guess we will both have to make do," Sebastian grumbled as he studied Aliya. "You're a mess. I can't take you to the mansion looking like that."

**Seasnake:**** I did my best to keep Sebastian in character. I even had my friend beta read this chapter twice. Comments on my story are welcome. Constructive criticism is too, just please don't be rude to me. **


	4. This is my Daughter

Ciel was starting to get nervous. Sebastian had been gone for several hours and Ciel could smell smoke coming from the kitchen. Bard's meal was quickly becoming inedible. The butler usually began preparations for dinner about now. What was taking him so long?

Just as the earl became concerned, Sebastian's voice rang throughout the house. "Could everyone gather by the entrance? I have something important to discus." Ciel wondered what could cause Sebastian to make such a breech in etiquette. A butler calling for the master of the house was hardly proper. Still, he hastily made his way downstairs. By the time Ciel arrived all the savants were already there.

"Sebastian you're back!"

"Where did you go?"

"Well, what is so important?" Ciel came down the stairs.

"Young Master, I've brought a new person to live in the house." He stepped aside so the girl was in plain view.

"Aliya?" Ciel jumped.

"I had a meeting with the orphanage. It seems that I am her father," Sebastian told the servants a half-truth with a pleasant smile.

"W…What do you mean by that?" Ciel demanded.

"This is my daughter," the butler said pleasantly.

"Aliya, I didn't recognize you in a dress," Bard laughed.

"Neither did I," Maylene marveled at the girl. Before coming to the mansion Sebastian had taken time to provide her with some new clothes. Aliya now wore a simple black and gray dress and leather shoes. In her arms she carried a bag that held another clean outfit. Sebastian had also taken a moment to comb the knots out of her black hair. Aliya now looked like a "presentable young lady" as her father called her.

"Whoa…" Finny leaned closer to the demons, "you're so similar."

"Ho, ho, ho," Tanaka seemed to agree.

"Standing next to each other like that…" Maylene started to say but trailed off as she realized that Sebastian had a kid. That meant there was a mother out there somewhere.

"Why did I not see that sooner?" Bard wondered, "Must have been because of that hat you were wearing."

"Hemph," Aliya turned away from the servants. She didn't like being compared to a demon she barely knew. Plus, their stares were making her uneasy and her muscles tense for battle. She bit her lip to try and calm her nerves.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a kid?" Bard asked.

"That is not something humans should ask," Sebastian warned. The three servants quickly shut their mouths.

"And you just brought her here?" Ciel irritably asked the butler.

"I believe my salary will cover the expense of her room and board. I also plan on training her as a maid," Sebastian explained.

"Couldn't you have cleared this with me first?" The earl didn't like Sebastian doing things behind his back.

"Young Master, I simply could not leave her there," he said carefully. Ciel realized they would have to continue this conversation when the servants weren't around.

"Fine, show Aliya to her room then we can discuss financial arrangements." The boy headed back up the stairs to his study.

"As you wish," Sebastian nodded than gave Aliya a smile, "there is an extra bedroom near mine."

"But Sebastian, that room is used as storage," Maylene pointed out.

"It won't take long to clean. Once that is finished I'll start dinner." Sebastian checked his pocket watch.

"Don't worry about it. I've already prepared tonight's dinner," Bard said proudly. On cue a cloud of black smoke started billowing into the room. Sebastian gave the cook a disapproving look as the man bolted towards the kitchen.

"We'll…go clean that up," Maylene offered as she and Finny left.

"Is it always like this?" Aliya asked as she gazed up at her father.

"It used to be worse. Now, come, I'll show you to your room," Sebastian told her.

Ciel waited several minutes for Sebastian to appear. When the butler finally arrived in the study Ciel wasted no time.

"Your daughter?" he snapped.

"In a sense. According to Master Bookkeeper she was created using my blood." Sebastian gave a brief, un-detailed, synopsis of his discussion with the lord historian.

"End our contract? Can he do that?" Ciel asked.

"It is within his jurisdiction. I couldn't stop him from doing so," the butler admitted.

"What would happen to me?" Ciel wondered.

"You would be left as you are. You would also have the ability to summon another demon if you wished," Sebastian didn't lie.

"That would be an inconvenience," Ciel leaned back in his chair, "as the butler to the Phantomhive house, your daughter can stay here. Try not to let this affect your duties."

"Of course not, Young Master, I am still your loyal servant," the demon bowed.


	5. Aliya's First Day at Home

Aliya didn't do anything her first night at the Phantomhive mansion except sleep. After meeting Ciel and Sebastian last month, she had continued to live on the streets until she was captured by demons. The last two weeks of her life had been spent in a cell with powerful strangers watching her. They would point and laugh or dare each other to touch her gray wings, and then someone would come to draw a sample of blood for a test. It had been better than life with her mother but still utterly miserable. Now she was with her father, but she doubted things would be any different.

When Aliya woke up she didn't remember where she was. She felt as though she were once again sleeping on the stone floor. She could hear the morning sermon being chanted from upstairs. The smell of holy magic and blood wafted into her nose.

"Aliya," a voice said. The girl glanced up groggily and for an instant saw her mother's face looming over her.

"Aahh!" The girl jolted upright then realized that it wasn't her mother at all.

"Are you alright?" Sebastian gave her a strange look. Aliya sat up in her bed gasping and glanced around the room. She was in her new room, the black clad demon stood next to her bed, she could hear Maylene's voice coming from down the hall, and she could smell soup from the kitchen.

"I…I'm fine," she stammered and tried to slow her breathing.

"You have been in bed half the morning. I came to wake you up," Sebastian smiled.

"Oh," Aliya muttered.

"Do you need help getting dressed?" he asked. The girl shook her head. "Then I'll wait," Sebastian politely left her room. Aliya quickly pulled on one of the dresses her father had given her yesterday and then joined him in the hallway. "Seems you need help after all." Sebastian shook his head at her sloppy appearance. He straightened her skirt and retied the back. "A young lady must always look her best. Also, remember to wear your gloves. Those gray nails may not look supernatural but they appear coved in dirt," he lectured her. Aliya didn't protest.

"Now I must do something about your hair." Sebastian eyed her short haircut disapprovingly.

"No, it stays short!" Aliya reached her hands around her head defensibly.

"What ever for?" the butler inquired.

"Mother never let me cut it. She wanted to dye it a lighter color too," Aliya mumbled while watching the floor.

"The currant English style is for girls to grow their hair long. However, if you insist on keeping it short that should be fine," Sebastian considered.

"I insist," Aliya nodded.

"I must cut it either way. You did a horrible job when slicing it off." He led her into another room and sat her down in front of a mirror. Sebastian had not intended to, but the way he cut her bangs only served to make them look even more alike. Aliya's straight black hair hung just above her shoulders in a simple style. Her father cut the sides so they stayed out of her eyes and framed her face.

Once her appearance met his approval, Sebastian took Aliya on a tour of the house. As he went he instructed her to remember everything. The girl listened and easily committed each room to memory.

"At this time of day I normally start perorations for lunch." Sebastian led her to the kitchen.

"Breakfast, tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner. I never realized food was so important. I just ate to keep my strength up," Aliya observed. Sebastian gave her a scornful look.

"A demon needs only to consume souls; that is what provides strength. Material things provide only short bursts of energy, like sugar does for humans. I eat human food only to check its taste," he said icily. Aliya glanced at the wall feeling hurt.

"Did your mother ever feed you properly? Or perhaps you gain power as angels do?" Sebastian stared down at her.

"I don't know," Aliya said under her breath.

"If I'm to be your father, I must know this."

"I don't know!" Aliya shouted. She glared up at him with her eyes glowing red.

"That could be a problem," Sebastian met her stare.

"Good morning!" Bard greeted the father and daughter. His arrival put an end to their first of many arguments.

Aliya hung back as Sebastian and Bard prepared the midday meal. But she became bored with watching and left when her father's back was turned. Feeling neglected she wandered through the mansion marveling at the finery of everything. She had never seen items of such high quality before. In one hall she found Tanaka sitting and drinking his tea. She glanced at the old man then turned her back.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Aliya," a strange voice spoke to her.

"Eek!" Aliya spun around, ready to take her attacker's head off.

"Whoa, now," the tall old man who looked like a not chibi version of Tanaka held up his hands.

"Tanaka?" she asked and lowered her guard.

"I'm unable to spend much time like this anymore. Still, I thought I would take this opportunity to welcome you to the Phantomhive house," he said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you," Aliya curtsied like her mother had taught her to.

"So you are Sebastian's child. He never mentioned having a wife."

"He's not married," Aliya muttered.

"Well, whatever your background is, Miss, I hope you enjoy living here. Also, don't tell anyone I said this, but I think it will do Sebastian good to have you around," the old man said kindly then he deflated back to his miniature version.

Aliya watched Tanaka for a moment with confusion in her eyes. The girl eventually waved goodbye to the man and continued her stroll. She glanced out a window and noticed that the grounds looked amazing. So, she left the mansion and walked though the landscaping. Finny greeted her as he weeded the garden. Aliya watched as he ripped crab grass out of the ground. Sebastian had warned her about his strength but he hadn't told her where it came from.

"Finny?" She stepped towards him. "Why are you so strong?" The second she asked a dark cloud came over the boy's face. She recognized that expression.

"Did it hurt?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I'm alright now," Finny smiled. Aliya concentrated her sixth sense and focused on examining his soul. He had no secrets just a burdened past and an uncertainty with his strength. Aliya knew she couldn't trust this boy but she decide that she liked him anyway.

"Something wrong?" Finny wondered why she was staring at him.

"Nothing," Aliya said good bye and walked away.

Aliya wandered around the grounds for quite some time. Eventually, she started to wonder if her father was looking for her. So, she decided to check. Aliya stood in front of the mansion and clasped her hands in front of her as if she were praying. Just like her mother had taught her to, Aliya focused her mind's eye. With angelic power she searched for all nearby beings. She could sense the grass as it grew and the birds in the trees. Maylene was on the top floor, Bard in the kitchen, Finny still in the garden, Tanaka on the main floor, Ciel's unique soul was in the library with a tutor. It was not hard to locate Sebastian, she could easily sense his power. He must have finished serving lunch and was now cleaning something in the dinning room. Aliya was almost certain that he could feel her watching him but he continued to ignore her.

_"Hemph, his daughter's first day at home and he doesn't even care,"_ she thought bitterly. She stopped looking though her mind's eye and decided to return to the house. Aliya walked though the mansion and into the dinning room. Sebastian was there polishing candle sticks.

"You were watching me," he observed.

"Yes, my mother taught me to find souls that way," Aliya said. Sebastian turned to her with a strict face.

"Don't ever do that again," he instructed.

"Why not? I'm proud of that ability, not to mention very good at it." Aliya crossed her arms defiantly. Reading souls was only thing her mother ever complemented her for.

"That is an angelic ability. Demons use something different," Sebastian said as if that explained everything.

"But, FATHER, I'm not a full blood demon," she growled.

"Believe me, I know," Sebastian glared at her, "that is what I'm attempting to correct."

Aliya didn't respond instead she just leaned against the wall and waited for him to finish his currant task. She fumed in private anger and frustration at her cursed life.

"What now?" she asked.

"You missed a large amount of the day's schedule because of your wandering," Sebastian lectured her.

"I had nothing else to do," Aliya said realistically.

"A child should be seen and not heard. You should watch and learn the proper way to behave. Just act as my shadow," Sebastian told her. Aliya didn't argue with his words but she felt neglected. After all, nobody paid attention to their shadow.

"Actually I have some free time right now," Sebastian examined his pocket watch, "this would be a convenient opportunity to finish your wardrobe."

"Wardrobe?" Aliya repeated.

"You need more than two dresses and one pair of shoes, child," Sebastian said with amusement. He made an effort to be pleasant towards her but the girl still sulked.

A good portion of that afternoon was spent with Sebastian sewing. He figured it would be better to make all of Aliya's clothes himself instead of having the girl speak with a tailor. "I believe it would be best to keep the design of your clothes simple," Sebastian spoke as he stitched cloth together. He was quite pleased with the opportunity to design a dress instead of more boy clothes.

"I'm not used to fancy things," she agreed. Aliya sat on a nearby chair as she watched his fingers move with fascination.

"No white!" Aliya suddenly yelled. Sebastian froze mid-stitch. "I can't wear white!" she wailed again.

"I was just using it as an accent color in the skirt," Sebastian pointed out.

"My mother dressed me in white. No, no, no." Aliya shook her head franticly as she tried to dislodge her mental images of blood-stained white cloth.

"Calm down, Aliya." Sebastian hastily removed the offensive fabric so Aliya wouldn't have a full-scale panic attack. "You should learn keep your emotions under control."


	6. How do you Discipline a Demon?

**Seasnake:** **This is the chapter where Sebastian and Aliya start to have some serious problems getting along. Once again I had my friend check to make sure that Sebastian was in character. I tried my hardest to write this well. Also, I don't like Mary Sue characters. Aliya may be an OC but she is far from a angelic little girl, read and see.**

Aliya remained almost completely silent for the rest of her first full day at the Phantomhive house. Sebastian paid her little attention and just focused on his duties as a butler. The other four servants continued to be nice to her and exchange friendly conversation. Even Ciel asked her how she was doing. She gave him some generic answer then returned to gloomily watching her father.

The next few days of Aliya's life continued in a similar fashion. Sebastian seldom spoke with her and the only things out of his mouth were criticism, orders, or lectures. Sebastian continued to instruct her on how to do everyday tasks or how to look like a lady. In his mind he was acting as a parent should by providing constructive criticism. However, Aliya did not see it that way. He spoke to her the same way he did to the other servants. But she wasn't a servant; she was his daughter.

On the fourth day of her time in the Phantomhive household Sebastian addressed her with an instruction. "Aliya, the candle sticks have wax on them again. You saw me clean them earlier so you do it this time," he ordered her.

"No," Aliya said simply.

"What?" Sebastian glanced at her.

"I don't want to, and I'm tired of following you around all day. I'm going to read a book." She turned to leave the room.

"You will do as you are told," Sebastian said evenly.

"I have no reason to respect you. I may be created with your blood but you didn't even want me. You're being blackmailed into taking care of me," Aliya glared at him.

"Father or not, I am your elder who deserves your respect," he said menacingly.

"You pay no attention to me and treat me like another servant. You claim to be 'Instructing me'? That's a lie all you ever do is criticize me," Aliya snapped.

"I don't lie. You deserve to be criticized; I have yet to see you complete a task correctly. You aren't even a proper demon," Sebastian said cruelly. Aliya's eyes got wet and she started to walk away.

"I gave you an instruction."

"You're the 'proper demon', you do it!" Aliya retorted.

"Don't you dare talk back to me!" Sebastian warned as he put on his threatening face that never failed to scare the servants.

"I'm not afraid of you, Sebastian. Mother has hurt me more than you ever could," Aliya said simply. She looked Sebastian in the face with an evil little grin. "I refuse to listen to you," her red eyes flashed as she issued the challenge, "make me."

Intimidation usually worked for Sebastian, he very rarely had to carry out his threats. Now Aliya was forcing him to do so. Not to mention, it angered him that she said an angel scared her more than he did. He would see about that.

"You obviously need to be disciplined," Sebastian said evilly as eyes glowed with power. Impressively, Aliya met his stare with her stubbiness. The tall demon appeared behind her and twisted her arm into an unnatural position. He expected that simple show of force to be enough, but it wasn't. Aliya felt the pain but she hardly blinked.

"That's it? After all your boasting I expected something worse." she smirked.

Her smugness made Sebastian lose his temper. He backhanded Aliya across the face. The supernatural force of the blow sent her flying into a wall. Aliya slumped to the floor, rubbing her check but she wasn't injured. Like her father, she could survive almost anything. Sebastian regained his composure and studied the girl. He realized that nothing short of medieval torture would bring her to her knees. Nothing physical anyway, there were other ways to discipline a rude child.

"You will never learn your lesson like this," Sebastian decided. He stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Aliya's short black hair.

"Let go of me," she growled as he pulled her to her feet. The body follows its head so Sebastian dragged her out of the room. He forced her down the hallway before she dug in her heels. Aliya was used to being pulled places against her will so she had learned how to resist being dragged. Sebastian glared at her.

"You can't even accept defeat in a dignified manner?" he sighed, "Have it your way." In a fluid motion he bent down and picked her up. He carried her over his shoulder and continued down the hall. Aliya couldn't kick her feet out of his hold or do any damage hitting his back. So, she cursed at him with words that she had learned on the streets.

"You're digging your own grave," Sebastian warned her irritably as he walked through the house.

"What the?" Maylene appeared.

"Excuse me," Sebastian said as if he wasn't carrying an angry child. Maylene scampered off to go tell the others. The maid cringed slightly as she heard some of the things coming out of Aliya's mouth. Sebastian opened the door to Aliya's room and dropped her inside.

"You will not leave this room until you learn some manners. If you break anything, than you will be locked in the cellar," he said.

"I'd rather be here than spend time with you," Aliya hissed.

"Stay in there for eternity if you want." Sebastian closed the door and locked it. He knew Aliya could break down the door if she tried but she was smarter than that. The cellar was much less pleasant than her room.


	7. His Butler, a Father

Earl Ciel Phantomhive remained quite aware of what happened in his home. He had seen how Sebastian treated Aliya for the first four days. Sebastian was trying to act as a teacher but Aliya needed more than an instructor. She needed a father. Aliya had no family, something Ciel was familiar with. So, after several days of Aliya being locked in her room Ciel decided to intervene. In his mind, he became determined that he would not allow Aliya to grow up without a father.

When Sebastian came to deliver some papers to Ciel's study, the boy addressed him, "Sebastian, do you care about Aliya?" he asked.

"She is technically related to me so I want to see her become a proper lady and a demon. As well as learn some respect." The demon handed Ciel the documents.

"You didn't answer my question," the earl observed.

"I do not hate her," Sebastian responded.

"You're dodging," Ciel said irritably.

"Honestly, Young Master, she may look like me but I find it hard to care about one so disrespectful. I have no use for a worthless child that can't follow directions," said Sebastian, unsure what Ciel's plan was.

"_Not good enough Sebastian. You should be able to figure this out,"_ Ciel thought.

"She went through a lot of pain. You could at least try to understand that," the boy said out loud.

"And because you also have experienced hard times, at the hand of the same angel no less, you feel sorry for a child younger than yourself." Sebastian gave Ciel a knowing smile. Ciel glared at him for being called a child.

"Obviously, you are unable to do this on your own. So, I am forced to keep the peace in this house," Ciel insulted the demon back, "Sebastian, this is an order, Aliya is your daughter, and you are to treat her as such."

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian said grudgingly.

Thus, Aliya was released to sulk around the mansion once again. For a while she and Sebastian avoided each other. Finally, the elder demon broke the ice.

"Aliya, would you be interested in learning how to sew?" Sebastian asked her.

"Huh?" the girl looked up. She had been entertaining herself by having a staring contest with Tanaka. She lost.

"You enjoyed watching me sew your dresses, didn't you?" For the first time since her arrival, Sebastian was asking instead of telling her what to do.

"I'd like that," Aliya smiled.

Father and daughter managed to have an enjoyable time together that day. Aliya made many mistakes that Sebastian wouldn't have but she learned very quickly.

"Once you commit it to muscle memory it becomes easier," Sebastian said kindly as he corrected the way she held the needle.

"I just don't want to memorize it incorrectly," Aliya answered. With Sebastian's help she mastered several stitches.

"You are a better student than I realized," he smiled.

"Still just a student?" the girl asked.

"You are also my daughter." Sebastian replied but without much emotion.

Unfortunately, the fragile peace was broken the next day. Sebastian didn't feel as though he had time to entertain her so he stopped paying any special attention to Aliya. She was supposed to be acting as his shadow but refused. Tensions came to a head that mid-morning. Ciel was reading when he heard yelling and went to investigate. He found Sebastian scolding Aliya.

"Feet do not belong on the furniture!" the demon butler snapped.

"This is how I like to sit." The girl was preached on the back of a chair again. Aliya kept her shoes stubbornly on the seat cushion.

"That will damage the upholstery," Sebastian argued with her, becoming angrier by the second. Even Ciel would not have tempted the demon's wraith to such an extent.

"You can fix it, perfect 'hell of a butler'," Aliya gave a blatant insult. That was when a fist fight broke out. After a brief struggle that Ciel's human eyes could barely follow, Aliya was forcibly dropped into the chair.

"Is there something you need, Young Master?" Sebastian asked. He addressed Ciel as if nothing unusual had happened.

"The… This book needs to be re-shelved." The boy handed his butler the book he was holding. Sebastian obediently headed to the library without a backward glance. The second her father was out of sight, Aliya returned to her former sitting position.

"Have you been doing this all day?" Ciel sighed.

"How else am I supposed to get his attention?" Aliya asked unhappily. "Besides, irritating him is the only entertaining thing to do around here," she sadly said and scuffed the seat with her shoe.

Later, after the tenth or so time of telling her to sit properly, Sebastian changed tactics. "If you refuse to listen to me, I will have to punish you," Sebastian warned.

"Do your worst," Aliya challenged. With that she was promptly carried to the kitchen.

"Several guests are coming over this evening. Peel all the potatoes for this night's dinner." Sebastian deposited his daughter in front of a large pile of potatoes.

"No," she answered.

"That was not a request," he told her.

"What will you do to me if I don't?" Aliya demanded, "threatening me doesn't work, hitting me doesn't work, and locking me in my room doesn't work because I like being alone."

"You forget that I can over power you, Aliya." Sebastian produced a peeling knife and sat down across from her. He forced her hand around the knife handle and held it closed. It took some effort but he managed to move her hands as if she were a doll. Aliya struggled to yank her arms away but he was much too strong. She eventually gave up and let him move her hands to peel the potatoes.

"Will you finish by yourself now?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes," Aliya admitted defeat.

"Good." He stood up and went about the rest of his preparations. The girl peeled the potatoes as slowly as possible. However, Sebastian had anticipated this and did not need the potatoes immediately.

Once her punishment was finished Aliya continued sitting in the corner of the kitchen. She watched her father work for a little bit but became bored when he didn't pay attention to her.

"Do you want me to do anything?" Aliya asked him.

"I already cleaned the house and this meal is far too important. If you are bored, read a book or go keep an eye on the other servants to make sure they don't destroy anything," Sebastian said.

"Does it need to be tasted?" She glanced at the sauces.

"No, I can tell when it is ready by smell. You can try some of the leftovers if you want," he added as an afterthought. He was busy so he decided that the girl could entertain herself for a few minutes.

"Forget it," Aliya gave up trying to interact with him and left the kitchen.

She walked through the house bored out of her mind, and angry, very angry. Aliya couldn't figure out why she was so mad. It was probably pent up frustration, not even at Sebastian just the whole world in general. She loathed herself for being a creature nobody wanted and hated her mother for creating this cursed existence. Aliya paused and grasped the hem of her skirt. The fabric shredded easily under her superhuman strength so she tore the dress her father had made until it was mess. Sebastian would hate seeing her in ruined dress, which gave Aliya satisfaction. The girl felt a bit better now, but not good enough. Aliya cast her eyes about the space until she noticed a display cabinet. A row of decorative items sat inside the glass doors with no other purpose than to look pretty. Mother told her to cleanse all impure emotions, that hypocrite. Father told her to keep her emotions under control. Aliya took a moment to consider. Would this make her feel better?

Crash! It did.


	8. Fatherhood is Hard

**Seasnake: I've reread and edited this chapter at least ten times since I first wrote the rough draft. So, it's nerve-racking to finally publish it. At least I know that I did my best to write this well. *sigh* I'm such a horrid perfectionist and worrier sometimes.**

"That was solid oak!" Bard exclaimed when he saw the mess. Everyone was gathered around the destruction that Aliya had caused.

"Oh no! The guests are coming soon, they are," Maylene started panicking.

"What about the dinner?" Finny wailed.

"Ho, ho, ho," Tanaka remained the calm one.

"Where's Aliya?" Ciel asked the butler.

"In her room," Sebastian said. He was the picture of calm and collected. But Ciel knew him well enough to sense a good deal of rage hidden in his level voice. "I am going to kill her," he said almost cheerfully.

"Not really?" Ciel asked nervously.

"Hmm, perhaps not. I would have to decapitate her and that would make a mess," Sebastian reconsidered. Ciel chose to believe he was just venting and not seriously considering it.

"Pick this up as fast as possible," the butler instructed the servants, "I'll worry about dinner." Everyone had to hurry but the house was perfect when the guests arrived. Sebastian finished the meal despite the delay, Finny carried the broken furniture outside, and the others swept up all the broken glass and porcelain. Meanwhile, Aliya stayed contently in her room and didn't cause anymore trouble while the guests where around.

The girl was locked in her room for several days as punishment. Sebastian also forced her to do the dishes, dust books in the library, and several other tedious tasks. Aliya complained much less than usual during that time. But once her punishment was over, Sebastian stopped paying extra attention to her. This caused Aliya to break every available rule just to annoy him.

Sebastian wouldn't admit it, but Ciel could tell that Aliya's behavior was taking a toll on his nerves. His performance as a butler didn't change in anyway. But the stress of trying to keep her under watch caused his temper to become noticeably shorter than usual, especially with the servants. Fortunately for the humans Aliya was mostly nice to them. Even though she always kept her guard up and didn't talk with them much. She also helped the servants complete their chores, once she learned that it aggravated Sebastian. As the days past, life became steadily more chaotic. The servants and earl could hear fights between the father and daughter almost constantly.

"What are you doing now?" Sebastian demanded from the girl one morning.

"Sliding down the banister," Ailya said simply. She sat on the handrail as she smirked at the demon. To annoy her father, Aliya had refused to put on a dress and instead wore clothes that she had barrowed from Ciel's closet. The servants stared at her when they saw her wearing the earl's attire but they didn't dare to comment.

"How many times must I tell you that feet stay on the floor?" Sebastian sighed.

"I don't know. I haven't been keeping track," Aliya said smugly.

"And where did you get that clothing?" he demanded.

"The earl's room," she said proudly, "I got tired of wearing long skirts." Aliya absentmindedly kicked the high heeled shoe she was wearing against the banister.

"You're hopeless," her father grumbled to himself. Sebastian removed her from the stairs but he didn't have time to discipline her. "Young ladies should never climb on the furniture. It is quite unbecoming. And put those clothes back. You should know better than to steal the Young Master's things," he scolded her briefly then turned to leave.

Aliya, however, wasn't finished. Today she decided to push the limits of her poor behavior. She ducked around her father and pulled his left glove off of his hand. Sebastian had not been expecting this and didn't move fast enough to stop her from snatching one of his gloves.

"Give that back, child." Sebastian held out his hand for it.

"No," Aliya taunted.

"What can you possibly gain by acting like this?" Sebastian made a grab at the glove. Still, the girl managed to dodge away from him. Aliya had a fraction of her father's strength but her speed was impressive.

"Spite," she answered.

At this time Maylene entered the room. Sebastian quickly shoved his hand into his pocket. He couldn't allow her to see his black nails or the contract symbol. Aliya smirked at him and held the glove an arm's length away.

"Stop slacking off and go about your job," Sebastian told the maid. Aliya mocked her father by placing the glove on her own hand. She mimicked Sebastian's movements and pulled on the fabric with her teeth. The demon glared at her menacingly.

"Umm…I was coming in here to clean, I was," Maylene said, unsure of what was going on.

"In that case, I'll leave," Aliya started to walk out. When Sebastian took a step after her, she bolted. The maid felt a strong wind rush past her then both father and daughter were gone. Curtains whipped about as the black blurs ran through the mansion. Aliya managed to stay just ahead of Sebastian by ducking into different hallways. Still, despite her best efforts, he eventually caught up with her.

"Don't run in the house. You could break something or hurt yourself." Sebastian swiped the legs out from under her and sent her crashing onto the floor.

"Only if you do that!" Aliya snapped as she sat on the floor. Sebastian reached for his glove but she bit his hand. A few drops of blood trickled out as she dug her teeth into his flesh.

"Insolent brat," he growled at her. He grabbed her arm and bent the elbow backwards. Aliya gasped in pain but still managed to kick at his shin.

"Stop it!" Ciel shouted at the top of his lungs. Sebastian and Aliya paused in mid-fight. "I can't take this! Aliya, apologize for what ever you did and give that glove back. Sebastian, you also apologize and find a book for her to read." Ciel gave them both an angry stare until they did as he told them to. He noticed but didn't comment on the fact that Aliya had raided his closet.

"Young Master, I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Sebastian bowed to the boy after Aliya stormed off. "I'll make sure she returns those clothes before tomorrow."

"Your family feud is quickly becoming an hourly occurrence," Ciel said irritably.

"I am doing my best but she simply won't listen to me," the demon sighed.

"_Your best would be treating her with kindness and respect instead of ordering her around."_ Ciel barely stopped the words from coming out of his mouth. Lecturing Sebastian would do no good. "Just keep the mansion in one piece. Two fighting demons are more destructive than three human servants," he said before returning to his desk.

"One demon and a gray winged creature," the butler corrected him and then left to continue with his chores.

Ciel Phantomhive sat at his desk, as he considered the situation. He simply couldn't stand seeing Sebastian and Aliya fight. Aliya's own mother had abused her. He wouldn't let her father ignore her. Sadly, a solution to the problem seemed hopeless. Sebastian refused to be kind to Aliya until she stopped misbehaving. Meanwhile, Aliya refused to behave until Sebastian was kind to her. Sebastian wouldn't to modify his schedule to accommodate her and Aliya wouldn't be patient. The two were in deadlock, both too stubborn to move.

_"Thick headedness must run in the family."_ Ciel placed a finger on his temple as he tried to come up with a strategy. Sebastian believed his teaching method would work better than being nice to her. Ciel wondered if that was how the demon had been raised by his parents. Aliya, on the other hand, wanted affection from Sebastian but would settle for hatred. Ciel understood that she had no family and was hungry for attention. Still, Ciel felt certain that they could get along if they tried. The problem was that they both refused to see an error in how they acted. If someone could just get the father and daughter to talk, they could probably come to an understanding.

Ciel could observe the whole drama as it played out. Unfortunately, he was powerless to do anything. He had already tried to intervene but he couldn't order Sebastian to be a good father. The contract meant Sebastian had to follow instructions but it didn't make him do so willingly. He couldn't order Sebastian to change his mind. And a simple talk was out of the question. Ciel knew his demon butler would never take parenting advice from him. As for Aliya, the girl was so stubborn that Ciel doubted he could convince to act differently.

The earl suddenly thought of something. Ciel couldn't help, but there was one other person on Earth that Sebastian actually respected. Could it work? The earl started looking through papers on his desk. He had to arrange a meeting without Sebastian getting suspicious. He picked up a notice from the queen and read it over. This was perfect. Ciel rang the bell rope than started to write a letter.

"Do you require something, Young Master?" Sebastian appeared a moment later.

"I have new assignment," Ciel passed him the notice, "her majesty has expressed concern with recent gang activity in Indian neighborhoods. She wants to find a way to curb the violence and lower tensions from immigrants," the boy said nonchalantly as he continued to write.

"And you plan to request aid from your friend, Prince Soma," Sebastian observed.

"Just because I was nice to him doesn't make him my friend," Ciel said irritably. He concentrated on that annoyance to push all thoughts of Sebastian and Aliya out of his mind. "Just make sure they receive my invitation," he snapped and handed the letter he had written to his butler.

"As you wish," Sebastian said with a knowing smile.

**Seasnake: Of course, I couldn't write a Kuroshitsuji fanfic without the awesomeness that is Soma and Agni. I also had to give them an important part in the story or my best friend would be disappointed. They'll be in the next chapter.**


	9. The Arrival of Soma and Agni

**Seasnake: Just a few quick things I should mention.** **I watched the subbed anime of Kuroshitsuji so I had the characters in my fanfic add some Japanese suffixes to names. I wanted to have Agni call everyone "-dono" because it shows how respectful he's being. Plus I just like the Japanese suffixes. :) Sorry if this annoys anyone, but really I wanted to write it that way. Also, I had Soma say "chibi" just because it's funnier than "shorty".**

Soma and Agni took longer to arrive than Ciel would have liked. He worried that Sebastian would figure out his plan. If that happened Aliya and Sebastian might never stop fighting, which they did almost continuously. The girl would demand attention anyway she could. This caused Sebastian to become angry and ignore her which then prompted Aliya to misbehave even more. It was a vicious cycle. The other servants were reduced to nervous wrecks, especially since they couldn't understand the superhuman aspect of their brawls. Ciel had no choice but to immerse himself in his work and studies as a distraction from the endless chaos.

After almost two days Soma and Agni finally arrived. Ciel never anticipated that he would be so happy to see the spoiled prince.

"You haven't grown much at all, Chibi," Soma greeted the earl.

"Stop calling me that!" Ciel snapped.

"Why so sensitive?" Soma laughed. The young prince of Bengal was in a cheerful mood. He didn't mind the strange looks English citizens had given him as he traveled. Soma always dressed like a prince even though it wouldn't be safe for a normal person to walk around wearing so much gold. Of course, a normal person didn't have a butler like Agni.

The tall man dressed in green closed the front door behind his prince. Agni's right hand was carefully wrapped in white cloth until he needed supernatural power. With his 'right hand of god' Agni had proven to be on par with the demon Sebastian, in both combat and his skills as a butler.

"Shall I take your coats?" Sebastian offered.

"No need, Sebastian-dono." Agni smiled at the man he once called 'friend'.

"Prince, why have you come to visit?" Finny asked. The three other servants watched the visitor with starry eyes. They were still enchanted by the idea of meeting royalty.

"Ho, ho, ho," Tanaka didn't seem to care.

"He's here on business," Ciel told them irritably.

"But Ciel, we never got to play cards on my last stay," Soma pointed out.

"Ugh, fine," the earl said dramatically, even though he didn't really mind.

"It's an honor to see you all again," Agni said truthfully to the servants.

"Nice to have you visit." Bard agreed.

"What would your highness like for lunch?" Sebastian bowed to the prince.

"Uhh…" Soma eyed Sebastian nervously. The prince couldn't tell what, but something about the man scared him. It was almost as if he wasn't human but that was impossible, wasn't it?

"Make something English that we can't get at home. The prince has grown fond of this country's cooking," Agni suggested. He could also sense that Sebastian had a strange aura about him, but wasn't frightened. He thought to highly of the man to notice the menicing aspect to him. Soma nodded and positioned himself so Agni stood between him and Sebastian.

Something caught the corner of Agni's eye and he turned to look. A girl in a black and gray dress was standing at the top of the stairs. She rested both elbows on the railing and stared down at the gathering.

"I see you've noticed the newest member of my household," Ciel observed, "Sebastian's daughter has come to live with us," he told them. Any hope Sebastian had of hiding Aliya vanished.

"Soma, let's talk in the parlor." Ciel led the prince out of the entrance hall. Soma happily followed the boy out.

Agni watched the masters leave then looked to Aliya as if expecting her to come down. All four servants also wondered if the girl would introduce herself.

"Aliya," Sebastian called up to her in a cheerful voice, "come say hello to our guest." The girl reluctantly came down the stairs and curtsied in front of Agni.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive house," Aliya said blandly.

"Hello," Agni smiled and knelt down on one knee so he was at her height. "You are beautiful young lady, so much resemblance to your father," he complemented her.

"So I've heard. Do I really look that much like him?" She turned her face away irritably. Sebastian shot her a 'be nice' look.

"You aren't his double. Your nose and cheek bones are different," Agni told her with a smile even though her reaction surprised him. The girl didn't respond so Agni tried again. "Aliya is a very nice name," he said.

"My mother gave me that name and my father didn't bother to change it," Aliya muttered spitefully.

"She came to live here last month," Sebastian jumped into the conversation.

"Only last month?" Agni stood up and addressed the butler.

"Sebastian picked her up from the orphanage," Finny said innocently. Sebastian gave the servants a death stare. They all became very quiet.

"The orphanage?" Agni repeated.

"Aliya was living with her mother until recently," Sebastian tried to explain. Agni noticed that at the mention of her mother Aliya fidgeted as if from unpleasant memories.

"I didn't know you were married, Sebastian-dono," he said, not meaning anything by it.

"I'm not, the situation is complicated," Sebastian delivered a simple, polite, yet vague answer to the man's question. However, Aliya refused to pass up this opportunity to demand everyone's attention.

"What's complicated about it? Mother took advantage of you! You didn't even know that I existed until a few months ago," Aliya suddenly spoke up. She wasn't about to let her father escape this conversation with his dignity unblemished.

"Be quiet! Young ladies should not talk about these things," Sebastian said harshly in order to silence the girl. _"They don't know you are talking about a severed leg. Don't make it sound like that!" _Sebastian angrily glared at her.

"It's the truth," Aliya spoke innocently. She smugly tilted her head, in a gesture she had picked up from watching her father.

"Go to your room," Sebastian commanded icily.

"First you tell me to come, then you want me to leave," the girl muttered as she walked away.

Sebastian could feel the eyes of the servants on him. Maylene, Finny, Bard, and even Tanaka all stared at him. Damn, that girl had humiliated him in front of them. Not to mention Agni was still there.

"As I'm sure you know; children are prone to exaggeration. She thinks its fun to make a fool of me," he said in an effort to save face and then turned to glare at the humans. "Why are you standing here instead of working?" Sebastian snapped at the four servants. "We have guests, or did you forget that?"

"Sorry, Sebastian!" The servants scattered in random directions. They did not dare to tempt his wrath. Agni continued to watch the short tempered Sebastian. This was a side of the man Agni had not seen before.

"Could I ask you to ignore what Aliya said?" Sebastian inquired. He hated feeling like a fool, especially in front of such a powerful human.

"I hold nothing against you, Sebastian-dono," Agni reassured him.

Ciel didn't witness the exchange downstairs but he assumed something like it would take place. The earl and prince spent the morning and lunch discussing the Indian population of London, cards, and English cuisine. It was in the early afternoon that Ciel's plan began to unfold. He and Soma were playing cards in the parlor with Agni standing nearby.

"Young Master," Finny wailed. The blond boy arrived at the parlor doorway sounding distressed.

"What is it?" Ciel asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

"You asked me to tell you when they started fighting," Finny looked nervous.

"Where?"

"The cellar. I don't know why. I, I think she broke something," Finny answered.

"Perfect. You may go, just close the door," Ciel told the gardener and put down his hand of cards. Soma and Agni were baffled by the conversation.

"Listen," Ciel said, now that he knew Sebastian couldn't hear him, "I have a favor I need to ask."

"A favor? What kind of favor?" Soma repeated.

"As you may have guessed, Sebastian and Aliya did not meet until recently. And they are having quite a bit of trouble adjusting," he carefully explained. Ciel didn't trust Soma to pull this off but Agni would never help without the prince's command.

"Is she not his daughter?" Soma asked.

"There's no question that they are father and daughter. But they simply can't get along. Ever since she came…" Ciel stopped himself from mentioning the constant fist fights.

"Ciel-sama," Agni paused before continuing, "may I ask who her mother is?"

"Well, you see," Ciel said with a mental smile. This all must be extremely embarrassing for the demon. "Sebastian doesn't know who the mother is. I doubt he could even recognize her." The boy was entertained by Soma and Agni's shocked expressions. "Sebastian didn't know he had a child until we met Aliya. She ran away from her mother and was living on the London streets. That was where we found her. Only then did Sebastian learn she was his daughter." Ciel decided to say all this so that Agni could better understand the situation.

"So, what do you want us to do?" Soma asked after an awkward pause.

"Sebastian doesn't give away respect lightly. I believe if Agni talks with him Sebastian will listen. Aliya too, she won't speak with anyone else," said Ciel.

"What would I say?" Agni asked, a little taken back.

"Just get those two idiots to talk to each other and they might be able to work out their differences. But I can't tell you how to achieve that." Ciel leaned back in his seat. Soma seemed to consider the boy's words for a moment.

"I agree with Ciel, this situation is unacceptable," Soma decided, "The Goddess Kali is a proud wife and mother. She would not approve of a father and daughter fighting." The prince turned to his butler. "Agni, in the name of the goddess Kali you must fix this."

"Jo ajna," Agni said solemnly.


	10. Talking with Aliya

Agni walked through the Phantomhive mansion, unsure what to do. He didn't know how to complete this task. He knew very little about Aliya and Sebastian didn't seem like the kind of man to readily discus family matters. As he past a hallway he suddenly noticed Aliya sitting by herself. She rested, holding her knees, on the bottom steps of a staircase. Even if he wasn't on a mission to help, Agni would have stopped to talk with her. The girl looked depressed and lonely.

"What are you doing here, Aliya-dono?" he asked as he stepped towards her.

"I could ask you the same thing." Aliya glanced up at him. Her bangs fell around her face like a curtain, the same way Sebastian's did. She wasn't wearing her gloves again but her gray nails didn't attract attention.

"My prince doesn't need me at the moment. I thought I'd look around." Agni sat down on the floor in front of the staircase.

"Hemph. I'm here because there's nothing to do." Aliya rested her chin on her knees and studied the man.

"This is quite a large house. There must be some task for you," he said.

"I'm not officially employed. I just live with Sebastian," the girl told him.

"You don't help your father with his chores?" Agni found this hard to believe.

"Sebastian is a stupid obsessive perfectionist, he doesn't want my help," she said bitterly. Agni was taken back by her speech.

"Don't you think that is a little disrespectful?" he pointed out. This struck a nerve with Aliya.

"I'll talk about that bastard any way I want to! He doesn't like me. He didn't even want me," she blurted out.

"I'm sure that's not true," Agni tried to reassure her.

"You don't know anything," Aliya muttered and closed her mouth, unwilling to say more.

"I know quite a bit. I rebelled against my own father," Agni spoke tenderly to her. Aliya stared at the floor and ignored him. Her silence didn't deter Agni. He told her about his life, how he had been a beast of a man until Soma saved him from himself. Once he finished his story, Agni waited patiently for Aliya to say something.

"I have no god," the girl said softly, "Hinduism, Christianity, any religion. It doesn't matter; nobody will have the likes of me. I can never have a god or someone like Soma." Aliya's voice remained void of emotion.

"Aliya-dono?" Agni did not know what to say to that.

"Don't call me that!" The girl bolted upright. This completely surprised poor Agni. "You have no reason to be so respectful towards me. There is no reason a strong person like you to value my existence."

"Everyone has significance," Agni insisted.

"I bet you wouldn't say that if you knew about my past," Aliya muttered. She dropped the subject and returned to silence.

"Why can't you have a god, Aliya-dono?" Agni asked.

"Beside from the fact that my creation was blasphemy?" she said angrily.

"No birth is such a thing," the man argued.

"How can a creature like me believe in anything?" Aliya stood up to leave. "My mother preyed on trust and hopes to manipulate me. She kept me locked in the basement of a church and would use an alter as a whipping post." Aliya walked up the stairs without a backward glance. She could almost sense Agni's eyes widening with pity as he realized just how badly she had been abused. She didn't want to see his face.

After speaking with Aliya, Agni only became more determined to help her. Sebastian must be brought to realize how desperately she needed his help. _"Raising a child could do Sebastian-dono good as well."_ Agni considered. Taking care of Aliya would help Sebastian connect to others better. The man always seemed aloof. Agni still didn't have much of a plan but he knew what he had to do.

Agni went to the kitchen where he found Sebastian.

"Sebastian-dono, are your working on dinner?"

"I was about to start the sauces then go about my other chores," he answered.

"I find myself with little to do at the moment. May I take over meal preparations?" Agni asked.

"Go ahead. It would be helpful if you could also find jobs to preoccupy the other servants," Sebastian agreed. He recalled how easily Agni had tamed the normally troublesome humans. That had truly impressed the demon, not an easy thing to do.

Agni began his work and greeted the servants as they started to appear. They were all eager to help out in the kitchen because Sebastian rarely let them do so. He quickly found tasks for each of them to do. He wondered why Sebastian found them so unmanageable. Almost an hour past and Agni started to worry that his mission would not be accomplished. Then, to his relief, he noticed Aliya lurking in the doorway.

"Aliya-dono, would you like to come in?" Agni asked the girl kindly. She stared at him questioningly.

"I could use some help chopping these vegetables," he offered.

"Alright," Aliya decided. She accepted the knife and started to cut produce. Aliya enjoyed having something productive to do but she didn't let it show.

After cutting several carrots in silence Aliya started to get antsy.

"Agni, why is your hand like that?" she asked. The girl could sense power hidden inside the human. She set down the knife and turned to look at him.

"My right hand moves only to protect my god, Soma-sama. Belief in my god grants me the power to serve him," Agni tried to explain. To his surprise, Aliya reached over and took a hold of his wrist. She held his hand in front of her face and gazed at it. Agni wasn't sure what she was doing but Aliya looked into his soul. Her father had told her not to use that power anymore but she didn't care. What her girl saw in Agni's soul completely baffled her.

"You are very much human, you are not flawless, you make mistakes, and you do not pretend to be something you are not. Yet, you wield almost as much power as my mother or father." Aliya glanced up at his face. "I do not understand how the will to protect 'your god' can make you so strong. How can simply caring about another person be as powerful as something born from the depths of heaven or hell? I will never understand that, so I won't even try to figure it out." She released Agni's hand and returned to her cutting board. Agni didn't comprehend all of what she had said or done but he could recognize her sadness.

"I'm sure you will come to understand the strength loyalty and friendship one day, Aliya-dono," he told her. Aliya paused at his words but did not look up.

The two didn't speak on the subject again. Aliya stayed at the cutting board as Agni and the other servants worked around her. For almost ten minutes nobody spoke with the girl. Then Agni decided to break the silence, "Would you prefer to continue cutting vegetables or help Maylene set the table?" he asked Aliya.

"I'm happy here," Aliya actually smiled. Agni was glad, he felt as though he had gotten through to her. Aliya seemed more relaxed since coming into the kitchen. She had been lonely before and was now happy to be useful. _"How could Sebastian-dono not care for this child?"_ Agni wondered. He would soon find out, because at that moment, Sebastian entered the kitchen.


	11. All Arguments End

"Maylene you left the broom in the hallway and Finny fetch more flour from the cellar." Sebastian started giving orders the second he entered the room. For a moment he ignored Aliya but then spun to her angrily. "Aliya where are your gloves? I told you to wear them," he scolded the child.

"I don't like them. They're too tight on my hands," Aliya said without looking at her father.

"You should do as I tell you," Sebastian kept his voice carefully even.

"You should stop nagging me," the girl rudely mimicked his tone of voice without looking away from her cutting board.

"Perhaps it would be easier to get her new gloves, Sebastian-dono?" Agni couldn't stop himself from intervening. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"…I suppose so," Sebastian reluctantly agreed but he shot Agni a nasty look for interfering. "I'll start work on the desert," Sebastian turned his attention to the meal, "Aliya, since you are in a good mood, help me kneed the dough."

"No," Aliya refused, still without looking at him. Agni was taken back by this, Sebastian's request seemed good natured to him. Agni realized Aliya must hear it only as an order. The black clad butler glared at the back of his daughter's head, angry at being disobeyed. Sebastian suddenly realized that Agni was watching him and redirected his gaze.

Agni sighed; here was the true test of Kali. "Aliya-dono," Agni addressed her after a moment, "perhaps you could add flour to this as I stir?" He offered her the choice of helping him.

"No," said Aliya.

"That's all right, I'll get chief-dono's help." Agni turned to ask the man but Aliya changed her mind.

"I can do it," she suddenly insisted. Aliya took the bag of flour and sprinkled white powder into Agni's dish.

"That is enough, thank you for your assistance," Agni told her after a minute.

"You're welcome," Aliya smiled.

"I need help with the table cloth," Maylene suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I'll do it," Aliya offered, she was eager to leave now that Sebastian was in the room. The girls left the kitchen together. This gave Sebastian an opportunity to speak with Agni.

"Agni-san, you are truly incredible. How did you make Aliya follow directions?" he said with slight awe in his voice.

"I did not force her to do anything. She is quite willing to work when given the opportunity," Agni said simply.

"She never listens to me," Sebastian spoke bitterly.

"Never?"

"Never, except when I taught her to sew," he considered.

"Do you not care for her?" Agni decided to be blunt.

"She is my child. I care for her the best I can," he said as he folded a pastry.

"If I may be so bold, Sebastian-dono, how much do you know of the mother?" Agni asked carefully. Did Sebastian know that Aliya had been abused?

"Not much. Aliya doesn't talk to anyone about life with her mother." Sebastian picked up on the underlying question.

"That could be why her burden is so great," Agni observed as he added more salt to a pot. "Having someone to confide in makes pain easier to deal with. That is part of the bond between Ciel-sama and yourself, is it not?"

"I suppose it is. The need to share emotions is part of human nature," the demon butler agreed, "still, the Young Master and Aliya do not have much in common. Aside from the fact that they are both children with troubled pasts."

Aliya reentered the room after aiding Maylene. Agni and Sebastian cooked in silence for a few minutes. Then, Bard asked for Aliya's help moving supplies. The cook asked for Aliya to join him in order to separate her from her father and prevent a fight. Aliya agreed to help him and they exited the room. Their departure left Sebastian and Agni alone in the kitchen and free to talk about the girl. Agni had noticed Sebastian glaring distastefully at her fingers. Meanwhile Aliya refused to recognize her father's presence or talk to him. But she purposely whipped her hands on her skirt in an obvious effort to annoy him. Something about the father and daughter's interaction made Agni uneasy. He could understand that Aliya wanted a father but wouldn't admit it. However, he couldn't figure out what Sebastian was hiding.

"Sebastian-dono," Agni began cautiously.

"Hmm?" the man acknowledged as he tasted a drop of the sauce.

"What resentment do you hold against Aliya?"

"Her manners are horrid. She needs to learn respect," Sebastian said nonchalantly while he stirred the pot.

"Yes, but…is there something more?" Agni questioned.

"What do you mean by that?" Sebastian glanced at him.

"Perhaps you do not think of her as your daughter?" the man proceeded carefully.

"What else would I consider her?" he asked reasonably while still concentrating on cooking.

"Finding out you that are a father in one day must have been a shock. A part of your mind might still see her as a strange girl who bears your likeness," Agni observed.

"I do not want your pity, Agni-san," Sebastian said somewhat bitterly. Agni's words were not entirely untrue. Sebastian admitted that he could have received the news about Aliya's creation in a more dignified manner.

Agni noticed that Sebastian had not denied his last statement. The human considered for a moment then asked another question. "Do you feel hatred towards Aliya because you didn't want her? Or because of something her mother did?"

"Agni," Sebastian spoke calmly but slammed the lid he was holding onto the pot with a loud clang. He turned his head to glare at the human. "You have crossed a line. This conversation is over," he spoke without emotion. When Agni saw Sebastian he felt a slight shiver of fear travel down his spine. For an instant he could see the man's eyes glowing red. Then Sebastian looked away and Agni assumed it had been his imagination.

Sebastian stood with his hand still on the pot lid and thought things over. He could not seem to shake Agni's words from his mind. Was the human right? Aliya was his daughter but she was still the gray winged creature. Her mother was an angel. Not to mention, it was quite possible that Sebastian's reputation among other demons had been damaged beyond repair.

"Work without me." Sebastian ordered then left the kitchen. Agni watched him go, unsure of what would happen next.

Sebastian irritably stalked the hallways for a moment. He thought over what Agni had said. Why were the words of a human so upsetting to him? He recalled when he had taught Aliya how to sew. Sebastian had enjoyed spending time with the girl when she was well behaved. The demon considered, was there a fault in the way he treated Aliya? Was anger clouding his rational judgment? If that was the case and the error was his own, than perhaps Aliya was not as hopeless of a child as he originally thought. If Aliya would only listen to him then he was sure he could raise her to be a proper demon.

"Sebastian is not going to like this! He's going to kill you and then me for acting as your accomplice!" Bard's voice came from a hallway.

"_Is that so?" _Sebastian walked towards the sound.

"I don't care," Aliya replied.

"Aliya," Sebastian rounded the corner and saw his daughter. "You are filthy," he said. Aliya was, in fact, completely coated in dirt and soot. Dark footprints on the floor showed where she had walked.

"All I did was ask her to help unclog the flue! It was her idea to climb in the chimney. I tried to stop her," Bard ratted her out in a flash.

"I see, in that case you may leave," Sebastian told the man. Bard darted off without hesitation.

"What a sight you are," Sebastian remarked. Scolding her would only make the situation worse. So, Sebastian just sighed as he looked her up and down. "Here," he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and stooped to wipe some dirt off her cheek.

"You aren't angry?" Aliya asked. She could have pulled away from him but she didn't.

"Yes, I am angry. I'm just tired of fighting," Sebastian said honestly, "what ever possessed you to climb in a chimney?"

"…" The girl didn't speak for a moment. She could say something rude, but she was tired of fighting too. "I wanted your attention," Aliya finally admitted.

"My attention?" he asked.

"Misbehaving was the only way I can get you to look at me. Otherwise you don't acknowledge that I exist," the girl said quietly. She decided to be truthful and hope that he wouldn't reject her.

"That's not true."

"I'm not another servant that you can boss around. I know, I'm a creature but I'm your daughter! You are supposed to be my parent! All I wanted was to know what it felt like to have a father! I can't stand being alone anymore." Aliya couldn't help her eyes from tearing up.

Sebastian paused for a moment. He didn't have any experience as a parent. Still, he wanted to raise Aliya to be a demon worth of his name. To do this he would have to make some compromises but he decided that was acceptable.

"I didn't want a child and if I were to ever have one I expected it to be a powerful demon like myself. I will not lie, Aliya, I hate the fact that you are the gray winged creature. However," Sebastian kneeled down and placed both hands on Aliya's shoulders. "If you can respect and listen to me, I will do my best to care for you and respect you in return. Also, I shall modify my teaching methods to accommodate your style of learning. Can you agree to that?" he spoke very carefully. Aliya sniffled slightly as she tried to hang on to her composure.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded. Her father gave her a kind smile.

Sebastian lifted his hand off of her shoulder and noticed that the white fabric of his glove was now gray with soot. "You are such a mess," Sebastian sighed disapprovingly. When he said this Aliya gave a sly smile. She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. She was coated in dust but Sebastian managed to resist the urge to push her away. "Oh well, I was planning on changing clothes before dinner anyway. But, Aliya, do you enjoy being covered in dirt?" he wondered.

"Not especially," she answered without letting go of him.

"In that case you should wash up." Sebastian stood up and lifted the girl into his arms. He carried Aliya down the hallway as she clung to him. "While you do that I'll change clothes, clean your dress, and take care of the filthy floor. I can also help comb all those cobwebs out of your hair," he recited tiredly.

"Thank you," Aliya said in a heartfelt voice. For some reason her happiness made all of his effort worthwhile.


	12. Friends Depart

As Ciel sat down for dinner he was full of anxiety. He felt sure that Sebastian would soon figure out his plot. If that happened or Agni had failed then the Phantomhive manor was doomed to chaos and Aliya was condemned to loneliness.

"Agni, there you are," Soma greeted his butler, "How did it go?" He avoided saying what.

"My prince, I believe this house has received the blessing of Kali," Agni smiled.

"Really? Where is Aliya?" Ciel asked.

"In the kitchen, working alongside Sebastian-dono," the man said happily.

"Without fighting?" Ciel was impressed.

"I knew Agni could do it!" Soma nodded cheerfully.

"Quiet," Ciel silenced him as Sebastian arrived with their food.

The earl could tell Sebastian was at ease. Over the past week the butler had developed almost a nervous twitch as if constantly on alert. But now he didn't glance over his shoulder at every noise or listen for Aliya causing trouble. The girl herself didn't appear until after dinner. She helped Maylene clear the table. Ciel noticed she was wearing a different dress from that morning and had a genuine smile on her face. Ciel didn't believe in such things, still it did seem as though a goddess had blessed the household.

Soma and Agni were to stay the night then depart the next day. Or at least, Ciel hoped he could convince them to leave tomorrow. In the evening Ciel taught Soma chess, which was not easy. The prince was just starting to get the hang of the game when Sebastian said it was time for them to turn in.

"I'm not tired yet," Soma insisted.

"Soma-sama, you need your sleep, we have to travel tomorrow," Agni convinced the prince.

"Well…I suppose. Good night chibi Ciel," Soma waved as he left the room. Ciel looked exasperated then walked towards his bedroom.

"Agni-san," Sebastian stopped the man; they stood alone in the room. "I have not had the opportunity to thank you."

"Sebastian-dono?" Agni was not sure what to say.

"Whether you intended to or not, your words allowed me to see an error in my treatment of Aliya. I am not accustomed to making mistakes but thanks to you I have been able to correct the situation." It was embarrassing to bow to a human, but more so not to acknowledge the aid he had provided.

"Please do not bow. Just treasure the wonderful child that you have been blessed with," Agni smiled at the demon he considered to be his friend.

"I shall do so for eternity," Sebastian promised.

Sebastian didn't speak with Ciel about the day's events until late. The boy was beginning to believe that he had completely fooled the demon. Sebastian allowed him to think this for only a little while.

"Young Master, I must congratulate you," the tall man said mockingly. He stood holding a candelabrum next to the boy's bed.

"So you finally figured it out? What gave me away?" Ciel asked as he sat on his bed.

"I knew you were scheming something. I just didn't bother to guess what until your accomplice kept glancing at me when my back was turned," Sebastian said with amusement.

"Soma is a bad liar, is he? So, did my plan work?" the earl asked.

"Aliya and I will fight much less now," was all Sebastian was wiling to say.

"This must have been a humiliating day for you, Sebastian. Outsmarted by your master, convinced to change your ways by a human, and humbling yourself to your daughter," Ciel remarked.

"I shall do my best to avoid this situation in the future," the demon said simply. He turned to leave but Ciel stopped him.

"Sebastian, was the embarrassment worth it?" Ciel knew the demon couldn't lie to him.

"I believe it was. Good night, Young Master," Sebastian said then closed the door behind him.

The next day Soma and Agni were eventually persuaded to leave the mansion. As they prepared to depart Aliya whispered to her father, "May I use my angelic powers?" she asked.

"Whatever for?" he wanted to know.

"A minor blessing, it's like a good luck charm," Aliya explained.

"Just this once," Sebastian agreed. A blessing was the only way Aliya knew how to repay Soma and Agni, and the girl deserved to give her thanks.

"Bye Ciel." Soma held the boy in a strangle hug.

"Let go of me!" Ciel protested the affection.

"We'll come back to see you soon," the prince said.

"Send a letter before you do," Ciel warned.

"Take care of Ciel until we come back." Soma released the boy and turned his attention to the servants.

"Do I get at hug too?" Aliya wondered. The girl held out her arms hopefully. Soma paused for a second, people didn't usually ask for his hugs. He glanced at the frightening Sebastian but decided to risk it.

"Farewell, little one." Soma gave the girl a tight embrace. Aliya took the opportunity to place a small amount of angelic energy inside his soul.

Agni and Sebastian exchanged polite remarks and the servants babbled emotional goodbyes to the guests. Once Aliya escaped her hug she approached Agni. The girl took a hold of his right hand and examined it again.

"Agni-dono, next time I see you. I promise that I will understand this better." She smiled at him as she blessed his soul with good fortune.

"Best of luck, Aliya-dono." Agni wished her goodbye.

As Soma and Agni departed everyone gathered by the door to watch them leave. Aliya stood proudly next to her father and Sebastian placed an affectionate hand on her shoulder. Ciel noticed this and gave a triumphant smile.

**Seasnake: I had fun writing Aliya and Sebastian fighting. But it's nice that they've finally come to an agreement and decided to stop treating each other badly. Of course, just because they aren't beating the crap out of each other every five minutes, doesn't mean they will get along without any problems.**


	13. The Return of Meraiah

After their agreement Sebastian and Aliya stopped fighting. As long as they both kept their tempers under control, they managed to get along. Aliya stopped misbehaving and her father stopped ignoring her. Sebastian still instructed her on how to be a lady but he did not order her around. Instead he offered her opportunities to work, which she almost always accepted. Sebastian found that he enjoyed teaching Aliya when she listened to him. In return for her good behavior, Aliya was allowed her free reign of the house, with the exception of the earl's room and closet. With the Michaelis family finally acting like a father and daughter life became peaceful at the Phantomhive manor.

Despite all that, Aliya still wasn't happy. There was little for her to do around the mansion when she wasn't working. And one morning, a little over a week after Soma and Agni's departure, Aliya was feeling depressed. Memories of her mother kept coming to the surface of her mind. She felt quite alone that morning with nobody around. She could have broken something to get her father's attention but instead she decided to try a more direct approach.

"Pay attention to me." Aliya walked into the room where Sebastian was working and spoke her demand. It was early in the morning before the human members of the household had woken up. Only the father and daughter were moving though the mansion. Sebastian glanced up from the papers he was reading and saw the girl standing defiantly in the middle of the room.

"I'm busy right now, go read something," he answered dismissively as he tried to concentrate on adding several numbers together. He stood next to a table and juggled several pieces of paper in his hands with even more strewn on the table top.

"I read all night," she answered.

"In that case, take a nap or go outside," Sebastian said irritably.

"I'm not tired and there's nothing to do outside," said Aliya.

Sebastian considered for a moment. It would be easy to tell her to leave so he could continue with his task. But then Aliya sulk in a corner and/or break something to get his attention. If he ignored her then she would probably stop respecting his authority again. He would have to promise to spend time her later to avoid this. "Child, you are old enough to entertain yourself. I must have these papers ready before I awaken the Young Master and prepare for the day. If you will just be patient, I'll spend time with you in a few hours," the demon told her without looking up.

"But…" Aliya started to protest.

"I don't want to fight with you, Aliya, but you need to learn patience. Our kind lives for centuries. I'm sure you can wait for my attention," Sebastian interrupted. He still didn't look at her as he shifted through papers.

There were several seconds of silence and Sebastian hoped that the girl had left. Instead he was startled to feel something brush against his leg. He glanced down to find Aliya sitting on the floor by his feet. She leaned against his right leg with her eyes closed. She sat while holding her knees and her head resting just above his knee.

"What are you doing?" he asked disapprovingly.

"Sitting," she answered simply as she relaxed there.

"I can see that," the demon spoke crossly.

"I'm so lonely. I don't have anyone but you, Father," she said pitifully and leaned against him for support. Sebastian was taken back by her words. It was both surprising and annoying how much her pathetic display of emotions affected him. He hadn't thought that demon's held much attachment to their children. But some instinct was nagging at him to comfort the girl. It was troublesome, but there was no way he could tell her to leave now.

The butler sighed and returned to looking over his stack of papers. He let Aliya lean against his long leg as he worked. When he finished organizing the documents he spoke to the girl again. "Sit up," he instructed. She complied grudgingly as if she didn't want to move away from him. But at least she listened to him, which was a step in the right direction. "I'll let you help me complete the morning chores only if you do exactly as I say," he told her. Aliya's eyes lit up when she heard those words.

"I'll do as you say, promise," Aliya nodded with a smile.

"In that case, let's wake up the humans, shall we?" Sebastian offered a hand to help her off the floor.

Aliya stayed stubbornly by her father's side that morning. To keep Aliya content all Sebastian had to do was acknowledge her presence and give her small tasks to do. The demon was surprised by how little trouble she caused. She was hardly a burden and barely even slowed him down while he worked. When he gave her an assignment she completed it efficiently. Sebastian had feared that the girl would be useless but she turned out to be a far cry from the bumbling human servants. Aliya proved that she had inherited much of her father's talent as well as his looks. Even though Aliya didn't realize it, she won a bit more of Sebastian's respect that morning.

After completing all the morning chores, Sebastian selected something for Aliya to read. He gave her the book and kindly instructed her to study the text. Aliya was now in a good mood so happily agreed. The girl relaxed in the library as Sebastian continued with his work.

"Good morning, earl," Aliya greeted Ciel a few hours later. She still sat in the library with her book when the earl arrived.

"Good morning. What are you reading?" Ciel asked as he entered the room.

"History of England. Father gave it to me," Aliya answered.

"Sebastian's trying to educate you, is he? Why haven't you joined my studies?" The boy sat down across from her. Aliya reclined on the sofa, keeping her feet carefully off the upholstery.

"Because, I know nothing, Mother hardly bothered to teach me practical subjects. I'm lucky that I know how to read. Besides, I don't think that would be considered proper," Aliya explained.

"Probably not. By the way, are you going to officially become a maid anytime soon?" Ciel picked up a book and found his page.

"No, Father wants me to concentrate on learning. Also, I like helping him with his chores. I don't want to have my own responsibilities anytime soon," Aliya said with a smile. Ciel nodded acknowledgment then read is book in silence.

The two children sat in the library until Sebastian disturbed them. "Young Master, you have some mail." The butler entered the room carrying several envelopes.

"Give them here," Ciel took the papers.

"Aliya, are you incapable of sitting properly?" Sebastian asked with amusement. The girl was now lying on her belly with her chin propped on her hands and her feet dangling off the armrest.

"Yes," she answered cheerfully. Sebastian shook his head slightly but didn't say anything. As long as she behaved like a lady, he had chosen to ignore much of her childish behavior. He had even agreed to let her hands be bare in the house. "After all," Aliya had argued, "everyone here has already seen my gray nails."

"It seems her majesty has a new order for the Phantomhive house," Ciel spoke up after reading the mail. However, he didn't get any further because a fearful scream suddenly echoed though the house. All three people in the library jumped to their feet and hurried to investigate.

"What's wrong!" Sebastian threw open a door to find all four servants gathered.

"The pretty bird bit me!" Finny wailed. He held his hands over one of his eyes.

"Oh, it doesn't seem that bad," Maylene tried to comfort the boy.

"Pretty bird?" Ciel asked then gagged when he recognized the creature. A huge black, yellow, and orange bird sat smugly on the chandelier.

"Stupid fowl, come down here and I'll cook you for dinner!" Bard threatened and shook his fist at the bird.

"Sebastian, do something!" Ciel frantically ordered. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control.

"I'll handle it," the butler stepped forward. Aliya could sense that that bird was not normal so carefully remained silent.

"No, don't kill it!" Finny cried and pulled on Bard's sleeve.

"Where did it come from? Is it a pet?" Maylene marveled.

"Ho, ho, ho," observed Tanaka.

"Who let it in here?" Sebastian studied the bird. The feathered animal smirked back.

"It flew in when I opened the window, it did," Maylene admitted.

"I'll bring some seed. That should get it down here," Bard decided.

"Waah! Don't hurt it!" Finny insisted.

"It pecked you in the eye, that thing is dangerous," Bard argued with him.

"You are all scaring it," Sebatian snapped, "that bird will never move with everyone in the same room."

"Please don't kill the pretty bird," Finny cried.

"I'm just going to put it back outside," the butler reassured him.

"Yes, let Sebastian handle this," Maylene agreed. Even with Aliya around the maid couldn't get rid of her crush. Sebastian managed to shoo all the servants out of the room. Only Ciel and Aliya remained standing by the door.

Once the humans were gone Sebastian tugged on the edge of his glove and a glint came to his eye. With extraordinary aim he leapt up and snatched the bird from its perch. One hand grasping its neck, he effortlessly landed on the floor.

"What do you think you are doing?" Sebastian addressed the bird. He tightened his hand around the creature's long thin neck.

"Gah! What do you think _you're_ doing? You had better release me!" retorted the bird in flawless English.

"Was that a threat?" Sebastian hauled the bird to the stone floor.

"Ow!" a woman in a feathered dress landed harshly on the ground. She had somehow changed out of bird form during her fall. "How rude!" she said sassily. Meraiah stood up and rubbed her bruised neck. "Is this how you treat guests?"

"It is how we treat pests. What do you want?" Sebastian demanded.

"I've said before don't shoot, or strangle, the messenger. I'm here on the order of Master Bookkeeper, he sent me to check on the gray winged creature. He told you I was coming, Re-mem-ber?" Meraiah placed her hands on her wide hips.

"Yes," Sebastian admitted.

"Excellent," Meraiah stepped in front of Aliya. "Hey kid, what's your name?" she asked.

"Aliya Michaelis," the girl answered carefully.

"Aliya? At least that is easier to say. Anyway, I have a pop quiz for you." Meraiah pulled a scroll out of her messenger bag and opened it. "The human probably shouldn't listen to this." She glanced scornfully at Ciel then began to rattle off questions. "Who was the oldest demon to ever live? What makes a contract valid?" She asked about ten questions.

"Uh?" Aliya was startled and didn't know any of the answers.

"This is no good," Meraiah said happily. She shoved the scroll back into her bag and turned to Sebastian. "You are supposed to be raising her as a demon."

"It has been less than two months," Sebastian pointed out.

"Too bad! By order of Master Bookkeeper she must understand demonic history. So here's what she should know by my next visit." Meraiah pulled a bulky stack of books out of her tiny mailbag and dumped them into Sebastian's arms. "If she doesn't pass my next inspection it will be assumed that you are overworked and thus your contract will be terminated," the messenger demon smiled cheerfully.

"All of this?" Sebastian asked icily. The butler glared at Meraiah as he balanced the load.

"If you hadn't slacked off earlier than there would be less," the woman said reasonably.

"When are you returning?" Sebastian asked.

"Two months, maybe three," Meraiah smiled then walked towards the open window. "Bye bye," she waved before she jumped out and disappeared.

"What a pain," Ciel remarked.

"Huh? What just happened?" Aliya glanced around.

"Don't concern yourselves with her." Sebastian placed the books on the floor and went to close the window.

"I can read those in a few months, easily. There isn't that much." Aliya studied the pile of texts.

"Those books aren't in English," Sebastian mentioned.

"What language do demons use?" Ciel picked up a tome but the butler snatched it out of his hand.

"Young Master, these are not for humans. At the risk of your eyesight, I suggest that you curb your curiosity," he warned. Ciel was getting a little tired of always being "the human" but he didn't say so.

"Can I read them?" Aliya asked; she wasn't a true demon after all.

"I would rather not risk it. I'll write notes for you to study," Sebastian decided. The butler picked up the stack of books and started to leave. "Allow me to store these then we shall discus that letter from the queen," he told the earl.


	14. A Family Outing

The queen's orders were to investigate the murder of a security guard. Scotland Yard had run out of leads and she wanted the Earl Phantomhive to double check their work, just to make sure there was no risk of a conspiracy. So, Ciel quickly arranged a trip to London.

Sebastian drove the carriage that afternoon while Ciel and Aliya rode in back. Aliya was ecstatic to be there, she was going stir crazy at the mansion. She had begged her father to let her come and he eventually agreed. Sebastian even took the opportunity to sew her a new dress and coat. Her traveling coat was made of high quality gray and black fabric and was tailored in a similar fashion to her father's. Aliya liked the new garment so much that she had used her new skills to embroider her name onto the inside lining.

Ciel and Aliya exchanged casual conversation during the trip until Sebastian brought the horses to a stop outside the Scotland Yard office.

"Aliya, could you watch the horses? There is no need for you to go inside," Sebastian asked his daughter when she stepped out of the carriage.

"Yes," Aliya nodded. She watched Sebastian and Ciel enter the building then entertained herself by examining random people as they walked by.

"Do you need something, Miss?" A man approached her.

"No," she answered bluntly.

"Then what's a young lady like yourself doing here?" he continued to pester her.

"Waiting for someone," she tried to make him leave.

"I'm sorry, but have we met? I feel like I've seen you before," the young man wondered.

"Mister, I am not supposed to speak with strange men," Aliya told him.

"Oh, I'm not a stranger; I'm Inspector Abberline for Scotland Yard," he said reassuringly.

Aliya took a quick peek at his soul. He was young, caring, maybe recently married, she could tell he liked kids, and his naïve thoughts left a bad taste in her mouth. _"Wait, if he works for Scotland Yard he would know about the murder case. This might be an opportunity to impress Father,"_ Aliya realized. There wasn't a very large chance that her plan would work but she had nothing better to do than give it a try.

"I didn't realize you worked for Scotland Yard, I'm sorry." Aliya gave a small curtsy.

"Don't worry about that, did you need help?" Abberline asked.

"Oh, it's nothing really. My father's just been so worried recently," she sighed, "but I really shouldn't waste your time."

"I'm on lunch break right now. What's wrong?" he inquired.

"Well… it's about the Hawkins murder. Father works for this rich family, you see. And well, the master is very concerned…" Aliya said this all in a very worried tone of voice. She didn't elaborate on her story and let Abberline fill in the blanks.

"Don't worry your father will keep his job. Scotland Yard just spoke with this new witness. We've found out that Hawkins was last seen speaking with a pub owner. I'm sure your family isn't involved," he said nicely.

"Pub? What pub?" Aliya widened her eyes as if it was important.

"Just the small one by the west docks," Abberline quickly said.

"_What a fool,"_ Aliya smirked.

At this point Ciel and Sebastian exited the building. One could almost sense the disorder and irritation that Ciel had caused for Scotland Yard. The boy leafed through a stack of papers as he walked.

"Earl Ciel, what are you doing here?" Abberline was surprised to see him.

"Picking up your mess," the boy answered as he looked though the paper work.

"Wait," Abberline noticed Sebastian then glanced to Aliya and back again, "is…this girl yours?"

"Yes. Have you been talking with someone you don't know, child?" The butler scolded Aliya.

"But he's an inspector; I figured that would be alright."

"All the more reason not to speak with him. I'm beginning to believe that every officer in this city is incompetent. This case is full of holes, how am I supposed to work with this?" Ciel grumbled, "I don't suppose you have gotten any new leads, Abberline?"

"If I did they would be classified until Scotland Yard investigated them," the man said stubbornly.

"Fine, I'll search myself," Ciel sighed.

"But Earl Phantomhive, the kind Mister Abberline was just telling me about his new witness. And how Hawkins was last seen in a pub by the west docks," Aliya said, beaming with pride.

"Is that so?" Ciel smiled.

"Ah, you little sneak!" Abberline accused her.

"What? I didn't lie at all." Aliya smirked.

"Well, I trust you to catch the criminal, so I don't really mind. But it would be nice if you could stop making Scotland Yard look like fools," said Abberline.

"You don't need my help," Ciel remarked as he climbed into his carriage. Aliya was about to join him but Sebastian stopped her.

"Why don't you sit with me? The Young Master needs to think." Sebastian lifted the girl into the driver's seat then climbed in next to her. This was obviously a compliment even though he didn't say so directly. Sebastian's silent praise filled the girl and made her feel warm inside. Aliya had never known what it was like to have a parent be proud of her or even to recognize that her existence had any worth. She held her arms tightly to her chest as if to stop the warmth from escaping.

Sebastian steered the horses to the west dock. Aliya happily sat next to him the whole time and watched the faces of people they passed. Anyone who looked at them could tell they were father and daughter. The fact that Sebastian was willing to let everyone see them together delighted her. Aliya was disappointed when they arrived at the pub in question and she had to disembark.

"This does not look like an establishment for a young lady," Sebastian observed.

"I've seen worse," the girl pointed out. Sebastian couldn't argue with that so he let her follow the earl inside. Aliya watched with admiration as Ciel made short work of the bartender.

"He's very good," she remarked.

"The Young Master knows how to use his influence," the butler agreed.

"He claims that Hawkins left at 11:00 p.m. We're done here." Ciel turned to leave.

"Where to next?" Sebastian followed the boy with Aliya behind him.

"To see the only man who can confirm Hawkins' time of death," the boy said as he climbed into the carriage. To her delight, Aliya was allowed to ride with Sebastian again.

"Where are we?" Aliya asked when they stopped.

"You can read can't you?" Sebastian said as he descended from the driver's seat.

"Why are we here?" she rephrased her question.

"You can hear can't you? The Young Master already explained," Sebastian still didn't answer as he opened the door for Ciel.

"To confirm the time of death?" Aliya glanced at the gray building decorated with skulls and coffins. "You're going to ask the undertaker?"

"He knows about every death in this city," said Ciel.

"He's willing to tell you that information?" Aliya wondered.

"He demands payment for any assistance," Ciel said in a disgusted voice, "come to think of it," The boy considered something for a moment then turned to the girl. "Aliya wait here. Once we go in, stand by the front door," he ordered her.

"Um, I'll do as you say," Aliya looked confused but nodded.

Ciel and Sebastian entered the creepy building with Aliya patiently out of sight.

"Undertaker," the earl looked around. On cue the strange man appeared from a corner. He wobbled slightly and played with a model human skull between his impractically long finger nails. At least let's hope it was only a model.

"He, hee, It's always nice when the earl and his butler come to ask my services. Or did you accept my invitation to test out my merchandise?" the Undertaker babbled.

"I need to know about the Hawkins murder," Ciel didn't let the man faze him.

"Oh, yes. He was a recent visitor of mine. Not particularly friendly, but more talkative than some." Undertaker placed his toy in a casket with the rest of what was hopefully a fake skeleton. "You realize I must have my laughs before I talk about the dead. Ha ha, I want the earl to tell me a joke like I've never heard before!"

"All right," Ciel pointed a finger at the man standing next to him. "My butler is a family man." Sebastian was slightly surprised, and unhappy, so his expression did nothing to make the story more believable.

"Heemm, ridiculous statements hardly serve to amuse me anymore," Undertaker said disapprovingly.

"Ridiculous?" Ciel pulled open the front door to reveal Aliya. The girl stood obediently in the doorway with her hands clasped behind her back as she waited. Upon seeing the girl who looked so much like Sebastian Undertaker cracked up.

"Hee, Hee, What a surprise. Not the best laugh I've had but that'll do."

Aliya walked into the building, unsure what was going on. Undertaker suddenly rushed towards her.

"Uh?" The girl leaned away from him.

"What's the name of this surprise?" the man grinned at her.

"Aliya," she answered as she backed away.

"Aliya, hum? That's a Hebrew name. It means to ascend or exulted one. I wonder why such a name was bestowed on you?" Undertaker poked her in the face; he had no concept of personal space. Aliya glared at him, both his words and demeanor irritated her. She grasped a hold of his wrist and twisted her body around. Aliya hauled the Undertaker across the room and sent him crashing into a wall.

"Oops, Sorry, I have this bad habit of killing people when they poke me," the girl said innocently. Sebastian held his hand near his mouth and tried to avoid smiling. Ciel glanced at them disapprovingly.

Undertaker stood up, completely unfazed. Ciel demanded the information on the Hawkins case and Undertaker told them what he knew. He said that Hawkins was stabbed in the chest. Based on the remains Hawkins must have been taken by surprise or by someone he knew.

"The blade did not plunge into the chest as far as I expected to find. I must conclude his murderer was a woman that he was friendly with."

"Are you implying women are weak?" Aliya interrupted hostilely.

"On average, human females posses less strength than human males. This trait is also encouraged by society," Sebastian explained.

"What about me then?" the girl demanded.

"There is no set pattern with our kind," her father reassured her.

"Good," Aliya nodded hotly. Ciel sighed at them but Undertaker didn't care what they talked about.

"According to Scotland Yard, Hawkins' wife has not been found," Ciel read the report.

"Oh? She came by here yesterday. She wanted to take her husband's body," said the Undertaker.

"Was she alone?" Ciel asked.

"She threatened that if I didn't give her the body, than Mark Blake would have a word with me. That was a good laugh," Undertaker giggled.

"Mark Blake? I know him," Aliya spoke up. Everyone turned to her with various stages of surprise on their faces.

"What? I used to live on the streets. All I had to do was keep my ears open and I learned all kinds of gossip. I heard that Mark Blake was working on a smuggling operation and that he was involved with a married woman," she explained.

"If you're correct than Hawkins was killed by his wife," said Ciel.

"If you never met the man personally than the correct term is 'I know of him' not 'I know him'," Sebastian corrected her.

"Time to go." Ciel stood up and briskly put space between himself and the Undertaker.

"Have fun, earl. Come back soon," Undertaker said cheerfully.

Mark Blake was not hard to find. Sebastian easily tracked him down and found Hawkins' wife. Once they were located taking them into custody was no challenge. Ciel enjoyed displaying the captives before the inspectors of Scotland Yard. The woman confessed to murder, with minimal prompting from Sebastian. Everyone at Scotland Yard, with the possible exception of Abberline, were embarrassed at being upstaged, once again, by Ciel Phantomhive.

"That was fun," Aliya said as the three of them departed for home, "we should have family trips like this more often."

**Seasnake: Just so that nobody asks, this chapter isn't based off the anime or manga. I made it up. I wanted to write a "fun" little trip for the family and I wanted to introduce Abberline. Sorry that Aliya was mean to you, Abberline. **

**The Undertaker was a hard character for me to write by the way. I guess I'm just not crazy enough to understand what goes on in his head. :)**


	15. Aliya Michaelis

After solving the Hawkins murder Ciel, Sebastian, and Aliya returned to the mansion. Sebastian kicked Bard out of the kitchen and made the Young Master's dinner. Aliya read several books and the evening progressed in its usual fashion. Once Ciel was asleep Sebastian found time to speak with his daughter.

"Aliya, you were very helpful today, so I'll provide you with one small gift of your choosing," he smiled at her.

"Gift?" she looked up from her study material.

"A system of punishment and reward is best suited for raising children. And you deserve a reward for your work today," Sebastian explained.

"Like a new dress or something?" Aliya considered.

"Yes, you may choose one thing of that nature," her father nodded. Aliya thought for a moment then her eyes lit up.

"I want a bed time story," she declared.

"What?" Sebastian asked with a tilt of his head.

"I've heard that some human parents read to their children to help them go to sleep," Aliya said enthusiastically.

"You want me to read to you?" Sebastian had expected her to ask for something material.

"I want to hear about my ancestry, old stories that demons tell. 'Folklore' as humans call it." Aliya clasped her hands and held them in front of her with excitement.

"If that is what you want," the butler agreed after a pause.

"Thank you!" Aliya hugged her father around his waist.

"Oh, umm," she glanced up at him, "there is one other thing. Can I please stretch my wings? I'm not used to keeping them hidden for this long."

"I told you to keep them out of sight," he reminded the girl.

"I know, but they're really starting to get sore. It's like holding my arm in the same position for hours," Aliya admitted nervously.

"You are young and only have one form so I suppose it would feel that way," Sebastian considered, "Very well, you may unfold your wings as long as nobody else sees them."

"That's a relief." Aliya flexed her back and her gray wings appeared.

"Now, get ready for bed. You stayed up the last few nights and a growing girl still needs to rest." Sebastian gave her a gentle push out of the room.

"Right away." She smiled and hurried to her bedroom.

Aliya got her bedtime story. She sat and listened to her father talk for hours. Sebastian told her all manner of tails from his heritage. At first he tried to avoid the mention of angels but Aliya begged for a story about demons killing their white winged counterparts. It was almost morning when the girl fell asleep. Sebastian tucked her into bed then left to make preparations for the day.

"Young Master you have several tutors today, so don't need me for anything this afternoon, do you?" Sebastian asked Ciel the next day. Telling Aliya stories about demons had made him think of something.

"Why do you ask?" the boy said carefully.

"Aliya requires combat training. I must teach her how to fight like a demon if she is to survive," he explained.

"And you plan to do this on the grounds?" Ciel wondered.

"I doubt we could damage the landscaping more than Finny. However, I could find another location," Sebastian offered.

"I don't mind. Just repair anything you break," Ciel considered. Come to think of it, seeing two demons spar could be interesting.

Sebastian left the Young Master to fetch Aliya. The girl was in her room looking at herself in the mirror.

"Father, what is this exactly?" She spun on her toes to indicate her new garments. She wore a dark gray coat with black details over a simple gray shirt and pants. The pants were covered by a black skirt that was shorter than normal and had slits on the sides to allow full range of motion.

"I designed you a lady-like outfit that is also practical for hand to hand combat," Sebastian said proudly.

"Well, its comfortable," Aliya fidgeted with the skirt.

"In that case, come outside. The Young Master has given us permission to use the grounds."

Once a fair distance away from any structures, Sebastian addressed his daughter. "I already have an assessment of your strength and speed. However, I have yet to see you fight with the intention to kill or maim you opponent. So attack me," he instructed her.

"That's it?"

"I must see your skill before I can teach. Don't worry there is no possible way for you to harm me," Sebastian said. His smug tone of voice slightly annoyed Aliya so she leapt towards him. She made a jab for his head but he sidestepped nonchalantly. Aliya recovered from her last assault and struck at him again. Aliya had learned to fight somewhat from her mother. Just defending herself from being tortured had taught the girl to hit where it hurt. Still, Sebastian easily blocked each one of her blows. "Your speed is not horrid," Sebastian remarked as he dodged her kick. "But you telegraph your movements." He counter attacked and struck her in the stomach. Aliya stumbled slightly but ignored the flash of pain and swiped at his face. "I'll admit your tolerance for pain is impressive for someone you age," Sebastian remarked. But considering where she had developed that skill, he said no more about it.

Father and daughter continued their training session for hours. Sebastian taught mostly by example but explained her errors. Aliya had always been a skilled copy cat and learned proper technique from watching her father. In just one afternoon Sebastian could see improvement. A couple times throughout the day Ciel would sneak a peak at them from his window. Even in a practice match their blows were almost too fast for him to follow. This did not surprise the boy, he was well aware of Sebastian's power and Aliya was his daughter, she would be no different.

Sebastian and an exhausted Aliya stopped training in time for dinner that day. Even though Sebastian did not have enough time to give her fighting lessons everyday, he instructed Aliya to practice. Thus, the girl happily added combat training to her study material.

A little over a week after her first fighting lesson, Aliya was practicing her blocks in the front yard when Finny disturbed her. "Aliya hurry and get inside," he warned.

"Huh, why?" she asked

"I just saw Lady Elizabeth's carriage. She's coming!" Finny darted inside so Lizzie wouldn't see him covered in dirt.

"Who?" Aliya wondered.

"Aliya, a guest is coming, change into something appropriate," Sebastian appeared.

"Who?" the girl snapped.

"Watch your tone of voice, child," the butler scolded her before explaining, "Lady Elizabeth is the Young Master's cousin and fiancée. It would be best for you to greet her upon her arrival but I will not ask you to socialize beyond that."

"Fiancée?" Aliya asked.

"Yes. Arranged marriage is a practice as old as civilization itself." Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder and guided Aliya towards the house.

"Do demons arrange marriages too?"

"Yes," he answered. Aliya glanced at him with disbelief.

**Seasnake: This was more of a transition chapter. But don't worry I'll the next chapter will have plot.**


	16. The Dead Man's Doll

Aliya barely had time to change into her nicest dress before the front door burst open. "Ciel!" A blond girl dressed in yellow charged into the house and glomped Ciel around the neck.

"Lizzie," the boy said in way of greeting.

"I came to make your house all pretty," the girl said happily.

"My house is fine," Ciel retorted.

"I need to hurry; there is so much to do." Lizzie looked around the house excitedly.

"Are you leaving soon?" Ciel asked hopefully.

"Aww, I can't stay that long. Mother and I are planning a dinner party," the girl said. Ciel gave a sigh of relief. Aliya watched the earl carefully. She noticed that he acted differently around this girl than he did everyone else. Was it because she was his cousin? Aliya didn't know. "Where are all the cute servants?" Lizzie dropped Ciel and ambushed the others. "Why aren't you wearing the pretty clothes I gave you last time?" she demanded.

"I outgrew it."

"I lost it."

"Ho, ho, ho."

"It burst into flame." They quickly answered.

"She doesn't know about the contract," Aliya observed, "How is she going to marry, Ciel?" the girl cocked her head with confusion.

"I have not bothered to wonder, after all, there is not much chance of the Young Master living to the age of marriage," Sebastian whispered back.

"Oh, I guess not," Aliya answered simply.

Sebastian had been carefully hanging back to avoid receiving another gift from Lizzie. He did not want to wear a pink bonnet in front of his daughter. Now, he assessed that most of the danger had past and stepped forward. "Welcome Lady Elizabeth. There is someone I would like you to meet." Sebastian bowed then gestured to Aliya. "This is my daughter and the newest resident of the Young Master's house."

"Ciel, why didn't you tell me?" Lizzie asked but didn't wait for an answer. Instead she ran over to greet Aliya. "You're so cute!"

"Hello, my lady," Aliya said politely.

"You look like the butler. I should get you matching outfits! But not in black, girls should never wear dark colors like that! It looks sad and girls should be happy. You'll be so cute in the right clothes!" Lizzie grabbed Aliya's shoulders and started to drag her across the room. However, Aliya instinctively dug in her heals. This girl was not about to submit to Lizzie's demands even if they were harmless.

A warning flag appeared in Sebastian's mind. He knew this situation could quickly become very messy. Elizabeth was just trying to have fun but her playing was not amusing to Aliya. Aliya's face was already starting to develop a slight panic. Her fight or flight instinct was very close to activating which would cause her to run away and/or punch Lizzie in the face. Aliya had been ordered around most of her life. She simply couldn't be dragged or bossed around without freaking out in some way. If Elizabeth tried to dress her in white or flowers, all hell would break loose.

"My lady, what is that bag you are carrying?" Sebastian swiftly intervened.

"Oh this? Just my things." Lizzie released Aliya. Sebastian nonchalantly stepped between the two girls. "I bought this in London. See isn't it cute?" Lizzie pulled a beautiful doll out of her beg. The toy was a little over a foot tall and was dressed in a turquoise dress.

Aliya gave a sharp gasp of surprise. Sebastian whipped his head around to look at her. She stood stone still with her gaze on the doll. Aliya's eyes trembled as she stared at the toy.

"Lizzie, do you want some tea?" Ciel asked.

"That would be great." The blond girl smiled and turned her back to the servants.

"This is your chance to escape," Sebastian whispered to Aliya.

"Huh? Oh, yes, thank you," she muttered back then vanished. Sebastian watched her go and made note to inquire about her strange behavior at a better time.

"Sebastian," Ciel called.

"Yes, my lord." The butler returned to his duties, still feeling slightly worried about his daughter.

It was interesting for Ciel to see Aliya and Lizzie talk. Aliya wore dark clothes and had short black hair while Lizzie always dressed in festive colors and had curly blond hair. When the girls stood next to each other it looked like an illustration of good v.s. evil.

"Where did you buy that doll, Lizzie?" the earl asked over tea. Aliya's actions hadn't gone unnoticed by Ciel either.

"This cute little store," Lizzie then proceeded to explain a detailed description of her shopping trip. Once she finished she made another suggestion. "I have to go soon, so let's play a board game!" Lizzie insisted. It was easier not to argue with her so Ciel agreed.

It was several hours before Lizzie left. She said goodbye to Ciel and bestowed a few gifts on the servants. However, as she was walked towards the door she suddenly started wailing.

"Where's my pretty little doll?" Lizzie cried, "I had her a moment ago!"

"It must be somewhere in the house. I'll look for it and send it to you once I find it." Sebastian managed to calm her down and lead her out the door.

"Well, that will be all right. Just, make sure she doesn't get hurt," she agreed. "Bye Ciel," Lizzie waved good bye.

"Her doll went missing?" Finny asked once Lizzie was gone.

"Do you need help searching for it?" Maylene offered.

"No, I know where to find it. Now please go about your jobs," Sebastian told them. The servants obediently dispersed and removed their pink ribbons.

"I wonder what is so special about that doll?" Ciel spoke up.

"I'll ask her," Sebastian said then called for her, "Aliya!" After a few moments, the girl reluctantly appeared. Sure enough, she held the stolen doll in her arms. "Aliya, what is wrong with you?" the demon loomed above her.

"It…it's nothing," she muttered.

"Don't lie to me." Sebastian took a hold of her chin and forced her to look at him.

"This is… it's mine," Aliya whispered and hugged the toy.

"No, you stole it," he spoke harshly.

"I had one like it. A friend made it for me but… but he's dead," Aliya babbled.

"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked in a slightly softer tone.

"…" Aliya couldn't find words.

"Show me its face," Ciel instructed. Aliya held up the doll for him to look at.

"I thought I had seen that girl before. Both of you, come look at this," the boy said nervously then headed to his study. "I received a notice from the queen yesterday. There has been a string of unsolved kidnapping cases."

"Yes, girls between the ages 10 and 15. No ransom demands have been made and no bodies recovered," Sebastian added as they followed the boy upstairs. Aliya looked even more unnerved by this news.

"You read the report but did you see the photos?" Ciel asked over his shoulder.

"Not all of them," the butler answered with a question in his voice.

"Here it is." Ciel reached his desk and removed a photo from a drawer. "This is the latest girl to disappear." He held up the picture. It was a spitting image of the doll Aliya held.

"No. This doesn't make sense." Aliya sat down hard in a chair and hugged the doll to her chest.

"Aliya, that doll is evidence. I need you to give it to me," said Sebastian.

"No," she refused.

"Whoever made that toy probably kidnapped all the girls," he tried to explain.

"That's not true! He would never do that! Drocell is a good person. And I already told you, he's dead!" Aliya suddenly shouted.

"Calm down," Sebastian sensed this was a time to be kind. Being callous to the girl wouldn't get her to explain any faster. So, he knelt beside his daughter and gently stocked the back of her head. "Just tell us what you know."

"When I lived with my mother I was locked in the basement of her cult's church," Aliya began. "Occasionally she would let me upstairs to listen to a sermon. I would see normal people as they came to hear the preacher. But Mother made sure to tell them that I was sick in the head so nobody would listen to me. When I was upstairs, I often saw a man who made deliveries to the church. He worked as an errand boy and would pause to listen while on his rounds. I think he was about twenty years old and I could tell he had a good soul. Then one day this man sat next to me. He told me his name was Drocell. He tried to be nice to me but I refused to talk with him. Still, when the sermon was over he waved goodbye to me as if we were friends." Aliya paused in her story and fondled the doll between her hands.

"Soon, Drocell spoke with me again. He said, 'I heard you were sick. I had some extra fabric around my shop so I made this for you. Hopefully it will help you get better.' He gave me a handmade doll as a present. I could read his soul and tell that he had lied about the extra fabric. Drocell had spent hours making a gift for a girl he didn't even know. He wanted to be an artist and make beautiful things for a living. He knew it was a hard dream to obtain but he still had hope for it. I could tell all of that just by looking at him. He was the first nice person I had ever met. And…I did something horrible." Aliya bit her lip in guilt.

"I told him I wasn't sick. I told him that my mother was hurting me. It was a mistake. I don't even know if he believed me. But that evening Mother took my doll away and burned it while I watched. She laughed at me for trying to make a friend and told me that she had Drocell killed for his insolence. I could tell she wasn't lying." The girl stopped talking and clutched the doll to her chest.

"Are you sure this new doll was made by Drocell?" Sebastian asked. The demon hid any anger he felt towards the angel and focused on the task at hand. The story had made Ciel sick to his stomach so he remained silent.

"It was the first present I had ever received. I memorized every stitch. This is the same craftsmanship I'm sure of it," Aliya nodded.

"So, Lizzie bought a doll that looks like a kidnap victim and was made by a dead man?" Ciel recapped the situation after a moment of quiet.

"Young Master?" Sebastian wondered what his plan would be. The butler kept a comforting hand on Aliya's shoulder. The little girl sat hunched over in the chair and bit her lip to avoid crying.

"We must solve this case. Make preparations to leave tonight," Ciel decided.

**Seasnake: Is this exciting enough yet? I wanted to write a version of the puppet story ark from the anime into my fanfic. Plus I always thought that Drocell deserved more plot, so I was happy to make up a back story for him. **

**Also, I've decreased the horror-movie-factor, for anyone (like me) who was severely creeped out by those episodes. Obviously, Lizzie isn't going to get involved. And, don't worry, no way was I having that scary-ass little puppet in my story. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch episodes 11 and 12)**


	17. The Search

**Seasnake: Continuation of the Drocell story arch from the anime. This chapter is a tad short but I didn't want to add this part to the next chapter so it is by itself. **

As the moon rose, Ciel, Sebastian, and Aliya were riding to London in a carriage. Sebastian had been unable to convince Aliya to relinquish the doll and fighting her for it wouldn't be worth the effort. Consequently, Aliya still carried the toy in her arms. As they rode through the forest Ciel addressed his butler.

"Sebastian."

"Yes?"

"Make a list of all suspects based on relation to the victims, crime scene, date. Then investigate each one," the boy instructed without looking at the demon.

"I see, is that all?" he asked.

"Finish quickly."

"Yes, my lord." Without a backward glance Sebastian leapt out of the moving carriage and darted out of sight. Once the door swung shut behind the demon Aliya sighed and leaned back in her seat.

"Do you have much of a plan, earl?" she asked.

"You don't have to call me by my title, Aliya," Ciel corrected her.

"Huh? You sure?" the girl looked surprised.

"I honestly don't care. You are a demon who is close to the same age as me. I don't think etiquette exists for this situation," he answered.

"All right, Ciel," Aliya gave a small smile.

"As for your question. No," he admitted.

Before long, Ciel and Aliya arrived on a dimly lit street. Ciel was dressed in his long coat and hat that looked too large of him. Aliya's father had warned her to be ready for anything so the girl wore her fighting clothes instead of a full dress. Standing next to each other, the two of them were very close to the same height. Minus his hat and shoes, Ciel was a tiny bit shorter. Aliya's arrival hadn't changed the fact that Ciel was the smallest member of his household. The fact that a younger girl was taller than him was very irritating. It made sense though, her father was Sebastian and who knew how tall her mother was.

"This is where Lizzie said she bought the doll, but I don't see many shops around here," Ciel observed as he walked down the street. Aliya strode beside him holding the doll with both hands.

"I have to know if Drocell is dead or not. What if I didn't kill him?" she muttered.

"I understand that. But he could be behind the disappearances," Ciel warned.

"That's impossible!" she snapped, "Mother trained me endlessly to read souls. She would fill a room with people and order me to list off their sins. That skill is the one thing I'm good at. So believe me when I say, Drocell could never hurt a child," Aliya insisted.

"People change." Aliya didn't respond to those words.

The two searched in silence for a moment. Then the night's quiet was suddenly disturbed. "The red passion of love beneath the beauty of the full moon. Such a romantic night this could be," a voice came from the rooftops. A figure in red was bounding across buildings and singing to himself.

"That's," Ciel recognized the man as Grell the shinigami. The boy glared at the figure as he remembered the death of his aunt.

"Oh, I know you." Grell paused on a roof above the two children. "What is the young earl doing alone with a lady on a night like this? I expected you to be more proper."

"What do you mean by that?" Aliya shouted at him crossly. Ciel continued to glower at the man.

"I am also a butler. But my master is not here right now so I'm on a hunt for love. There are just no fine men these days. Not to mention that smelly Will doesn't allow me back on my post," Grell ignored Aliya's outburst and continued to babble.

"He's obviously not human. But he is bound to this realm of existence. So, he must be a shinigami." Aliya recovered from being annoyed and stated her observation.

"That's Grell," Ciel explained.

"Really? He's not what I expected," Aliya said. Sebastian told her all about happenings before her arrival so she knew about Jack the Ripper.

"I am willing to bet that Sebastian didn't tell you everything," Ciel said irritably.

Once he was done fanaticizing about William Spears, Grell jumped off the roof and landed in front of Ciel and Aliya. "Why so angry? You aren't thinking of avenging your beloved auntie are you?" he asked mockingly.

"Shut up," Ciel snapped.

"I can tell Sebastian is not here. What can a brat like you do?" the shinigami smirked.

"Shut up!" the boy ordered.

"I'm here. Do you want me to kill him for you?" asked Aliya.

"You wouldn't! Two ladies fighting is unseemly," Grell complained.

"You aren't a woman," Aliya pointed out.

"Don't argue with him about that," said Ciel, "and you had better not attack him. This man managed to put up a fight against Sebastian last time."

"Ah, Sebe! I miss him so much. With his amazing red eyes and…wait! Why do you look so much like my handsome man?" Grell suddenly noticed.

"'Your man'? Hold on. Do you hear that?" Aliya forgot Grell and glanced around.

"Hear what?" Ciel asked.

"That music. Daaa, daa, da, daaa, daa, da," Aliya sang.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" The shingami protested.

"Be quiet!" Aliya snapped at him, her red eyes made the man jump. She listened to the music then located its source. "It's coming from over here." The girl started down an alleyway and Ciel ran after her.

"Hey!" Grell had nothing better to do than tag along.

Aliya's ears led her through a small maze of back streets to a store front. Unlike all the other buildings, the store was lit up from inside. A doll, similar to the one she held, was sitting in the display window.

"That's one of the missing girls." Ciel gasped when he saw the shop.

The two ran to the building. Ciel tried the door handle and found it was unlocked so they went inside. "What is this place?" Aliya glanced around the eerie store. Shelves were filled with toys, vases, and cloth.

"The lair of the kidnapper." The earl pointed to a shelf filled with dolls. "Eight styles of dolls, eight missing girls."

"Hmm, the record on those girls is sketchy," Grell commented. He read from a thick book that he had produced from nowhere.

"Sketchy?" Aliya repeated.

"Do you still hear the music?" Ciel asked her.

"No," she shook her head. Ciel looked around as he tried to find anything else of interest. Then the boy noticed an open door in the back of the shop.

"This way," Ciel went out the door with the other two following him. Behind the store was a medieval looking castle.

"How did this end up in London? It looks like we're in the country all of a sudden," Aliya wondered. She glanced over her shoulder. "Uh, Ciel…" she said nervously, "the door is gone." Sure enough the building they had entered through had disappeared. They now stood stranded in a strange place.

"Seems that we're intended to enter the castle," Ciel observed. But he was slightly concerned; Sebastian could be several miles away at this point. Despite his dislike for Grell the shinigami might be useful.

"Grell help us find the kidnapper," he said.

"Hmm, why would I do that?" the man asked. He had been marveling at the interesting turn of events.

"Because Aliya is Sebastian's daughter," Ciel began to explain.

"What! And he never told me?" Grell wailed. Then he continued to babble nonsensical, obscene comments about the demon.

"Don't say things like that!" Aliya turned red and yelled at him.

"Grell, listen to me. Aliya's mother is the one who we're trying to catch," Ciel told him.

"Grrr, that tramp! Let me at her." Grell stormed off towards the castle.

"What is that guy's problem?" Aliya grumbled.

"Don't believe anything he says, he's crazy," Ciel reassured her.

"Hemph. By the way, you failed to mention how I was created instead of born." Aliya smiled once Grell was out of earshot.

"Did I?" the boy asked with fake innocence. Aliya's smile suddenly faded when something occurred to her.

"Ciel, you said we are looking for my mother but we don't know if she is involved," she pointed out.

"Girls your age have been disappearing and now a castle has magically appeared. I would be surprised if she wasn't behind this," Ciel said solemnly.

"Oh," Aliya bit her lip and held the doll to her chest.

"Are you two coming?" Grell called irritably. Ciel and Aliya stopped talking and ran to catch up with him.


	18. The Doll's Curse

**Seasnake: Just a warning. There will be a bit of creepiness in this chapter. Also, a little bit of grossness when I explain what happened to the kidnapped girls' bodies. Still, it is not as bad in the anime. I repeat, there will be no scary-ass little puppet.**

Grell opened the large front doors of the castle to reveal a stone anteroom. Standing on a pedestal in the center of the floor was a life-sized model of a girl. Her eyes were made of glass and stared at the visitors eerily.

"Another doll?" Ciel wondered. The boy approached the figure without much care. Suddenly one of its hands shot out and grabbed his neck. It's eyes seemed to move to look at the boy it held in it's grasp. "It's alive?" he gagged as it chocked him.

"Ciel!" Aliya darted forward with inhuman speed and struck the puppet. The creation's belly burst open in a shower of sand and the lifeless figure crumpled to the floor.

"How does something like that move?" Aliya whispered in horror as she stared at the thing she had just destroyed. Ciel couldn't provide an answer.

"Moving dolls? I'm starting to not like this," Grell moaned.

"Hmmm, it appears the guests have arrived," a voice came from a dark side room. A redheaded man in strange clothes, top hat, and a tattoo under his eye walked forward. "Welcome, Lady Aliya and her friends." He tilted his head in an awkward fashion.

"Drocell? What are you doing here? How do you know my name? Did you make all these dolls?" Aliya asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes. That is a long story. Your mother told me. Yes." Drocell continued to talk in his sing song voice.

"Every one of these dolls is made to look like a kidnap victim," Ciel snapped. Drocell paid his outburst no mind.

"You keep too much company, Lady Aliya. I must summon stronger puppets to deal with them." The man started singing lyrics about dolls made of iron to the tune of _London Bridge is Falling Down_. As he sang several life-sized girl dolls appeared and started to march forward.

"All shinigami carry a scythe," Grell warned and pulled out two pairs of miniature scissors.

"Those are just scissors," Ciel observed.

"I heard you had something with rotating blades," said Aliya.

"That smelly Will took away my custom scythe! But I'll cut them all, just watch." Grell swiped at the nearest girl but nothing happened. "No fair!" he wailed as the girl's metal arm struck him. Grell fell to the floor looking more than a little nervous.

"This way, my lady," Drocell backed away into the dark room.

"Drocell, Don't go! Tell me what's going on!" Aliya started to run after the man.

"Aliya, wait!" Ciel called to her but his words fell on deaf ears. "Grell, take care of the dolls," the boy ordered then followed Aliya.

"Don't leave me!" Grell pleaded but nobody listened.

"Slow down!" Ciel shouted to the girl as he ran behind her.

"I am going slowly," Aliya retorted. Ciel ignored her comment and followed her into another room. Like the last one, it was grand and made of polished stone. "Where did he go?" Aliya paused and looked around the large space.

"Lady Aliya cut her hair, cut her hair, cut her hair. Lady Aliya cut her hair, my fair lady." Drocell appeared on a balcony. He sat there nonchalantly and gazed down at them.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you singing?" Aliya called up.

"What did you do to all those girls?" Ciel added a question of his own.

"My head is filled with straw. I sing to control the dolls. As for the girls," he paused, "I did as my master ordered. I searched for my fair lady. When I found a girl that wasn't my fair lady I turned her into a puppet," Drocell said without any emotion in his voice.

"What?" Aliya's voice quivered with fear.

"'My fair lady'? You mean Aliya?" Ciel connected the dots. "You were looking for Aliya!"

"I made them out of anything my master asked for. I always wanted to work with my hands." He tilted his head from side to side. "I made the small ones and distributed them on the streets. My master said one of them would find Lady Aliya."

"Find me?" Aliya glanced down at the toy she still held.

"It is a normal. I made it like I used to make my dolls when I was human," said Drocell.

"How can a normal doll find someone?" Ciel snapped.

"Wait," Aliya held the doll in front of her face and stared at its belly. She suddenly dug her nails into the toy and ripped open its clothes. The symbol of her mother's cult was painted on the toy's cloth abdomen. "NO!" Aliya hauled the doll away from her as hard as she could.

"Aliya?" Ciel stepped towards the girl. She was gasping for air as if unable to breathe.

"Lady Aliya's wearing black, wearing black, wearing black. Lady Aliya's wearing black, my fair lady. Mother's going to rip your wings, rip your wings, rip your wings. Mother's going to rip your wings, my fair lady." Drocell started mindlessly singing.

"Stop it!" Aliya clasped her hands over her ears in pain.

"Come on!" Ciel grabbed Aliya's wrist and led her out of the room. As they ran down a random corridor Drocell's voice continued to echo behind them.

"Mother's going to tie you down, tie you down, tie you down. Mother's going to whip you, my fair lady."

As Ciel pulled Aliya through the hallway and up a flight of stairs, a row of the life-sized puppets appeared. "Take the boy away from her, away from her, away from her. Take the boy away from her, my fair lady." Drocell's voice came from everywhere. The dolls lurched forward to follow his instructions. Ciel gasped and tried to run faster.

"Stay away!" Aliya kicked at the marionettes as they approached. But more of them started to emerge. Ciel noticed a door and sprinted towards it. One of the dolls reached for him but Aliya grabbed it by its hair and tossed it aside. Despite her attacks, none of the dolls were damaged. Ciel pulled the door open and darted inside. Once Aliya stumbled into the room he slammed the wood barrier shut behind them.

Ciel leaned against the door and gasped for air. Aliya stood listlessly staring at nothing. Thankfully, they couldn't hear the singing anymore. They appeared to be standing in a room on the top floor of the mansion. Ciel managed to slow his breathing and glanced around. A high back chair was placed in the middle of the room. It faced away from the children so he couldn't tell if anyone was sitting in it.

"What have I done?" Aliya muttered. She leaned against the doorframe as tears rolled down her face. "I'm a monster." She said between sobs.

"Aliya, get a hold of yourself," Ciel tried to get her attention. "Crying here won't help anything."

"Ciel…Lizzie was almost the next target. If I hadn't taken the doll from her she would be a puppet too. I put your cousin in danger, so don't be nice to me," Aliya said without looking at him. Her words gave Ciel a start still he refused to leave her be.

"What is wrong with you? Where did all of your stubbornness go?" Aliya still refused to look at him.

"That creature has always been weak. She may put on a facade of being a stubborn mule but she is my good little girl at heart." A cruel feminine voice suddenly joined the conversation. Ciel whipped his head around searching for the source of the sound.

"Stay away…" Aliya whimpered and shrank back against the wall. Her body trembled from pure fear as she cowered.

"That's your mother's voice?" Ciel asked. Aliya nodded slightly.

"Are you ready to come back to me, my little creature? Have you finished your little game of pretending to be free?" the angel asked maliciously.

"No! I left. Please, I couldn't take it anymore," the girl pleaded. Her shaking knees lost the strength to stand upright and she crumpled to the floor. Ciel watched her agonized expression. He recognized her pain and hopelessness as the same emotions he had felt while in captivity for a month.

"You are the monster! You tortured your own daughter!" he shouted at the back of the chair. The voice was silent for a moment than spoke with amusement.

"Why, if it isn't the young Earl Phantomhive. Such a pathetic human. You were so easy to mold. Even I was surprised by how quickly your childhood innocence turned to a desire for revenge. You are unclean, full of hate, tainted. The filth of mankind. Useless for anything except demon food," she taunted him.

Ciel gritted his teeth and headed to towards the chair. "Don't," Aliya warned him against looking. Her supernatural eyes could see across the dark room. Still, the boy ran to stand in front of the piece of furniture. He turned to look at the person sitting in it and couldn't stifle a gasp. The latest girl to disappear sat slouched over in the chair. Her hair was a mess and her skin had lost its color. The girl's dead eyes were clouded over and stared at nothing.

Now that he was on this side of the room, Ciel could perceive the stench of rotting flesh. He glanced behind him and saw corpses piled along the back wall of the room, half-hidden in shadow. The boy quickly placed his hand over his nose and mouth to keep himself from throwing up.

"You obviously know nothing of angels," the voice came from the dead girl's mouth. The corpse's lips didn't move but he sound resonated inside her. "Why would I risk putting my true body in danger when I can talk though my victim?" Ciel backed away in disgust. He stared with repulsion at the form the angel partially inhabited.

"It seems I have arrived in time," a familiar voice came from the window sill.

"What took you so long?" Ciel snapped. He forced his eyes away from the dead girl to glare at his demon. But truthfully, he had never been so happy to see Sebastian.

"It was a long trip from London. This castle is quite remote." The demon entered the room and gave the high-backed chair distasteful look.

"You took too long. The angel is here," Ciel motioned to the corpse.

"Not any longer. She removed her power from it a second ago. Perhaps she's planning to visit in person," Sebastian observed.

"Father…" Aliya finally registered that Sebastian was there. She gazed at him with tears streaming down her face.

"You are a mess, Aliya," he said in way of a greeting. Aliya ran to him and buried her face in his coat. Sebastian didn't offer any sympathetic words but allowed her to cry against him.

"This is all my fault. The girls are dead. Because of me," the girl sobbed.

"Calm down, child." He patted her head reassuringly to stop her tears.

"Sebastian, there is an army of puppets in this castle. I order you to destroy them and find their master," said Ciel.

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian nodded. He would have bowed if Aliya wasn't clinging to him.

"Lady Aliya must come home, must come home, must come home." A new song started up and the doors were thrown open. A wave of puppet girls came into the room menacingly.

"These dolls seem to be controlled by song. That makes things easier," Sebastian smiled. "Steal and iron will bend and break, bend and break, bend and break," the demon started singing. He gently pushed Aliya away from him so he could move. He then walked among the dolls breaking their necks. The girl puppets stood useless from the effect of his song. "All the songs will lose their might, my fair lady." Sebastian finished and handed Aliya a handkerchief to dry her eyes.

"I've never heard you sing before," Ciel said mockingly. Sebastian turned to the boy with his normal grin.

"Father, I…" Aliya paused to wipe tears off her face. With Sebastian around and Ciel no longer afraid, she was able to take a few deep breaths and regain some control over herself. "I can tell that my mother is nearby. What do we do, now?" she finished.

"I have defeated the puppets, now we find their master," said the butler.

Sebastian moved the children out of the castle and into the field where enemies couldn't sneak up on them. "We have the advantage," he explained, "We have what they are after."

"Me," Aliya muttered.

"I doubt the angel will want to fight me directly. That is why she created the dolls. Although they turned out to be surprisingly easy to defeat," Sebastian took the opportunity to boast about his abilities. Ciel shot him an exasperated look.

"Lady Aliya," Drocell suddenly appeared. The strange man walked slowly towards them. Ciel jumped in surprise and Sebastian started to pull a knife out of his pocket.

"Stop! He's my friend, don't kill him." Aliya grabbed her father's hand. "He still has a soul, I can sense it."

"Child," Sebastian growled at her for getting in his way.

"Drocell what happened to you? Talk to me!" Aliya started to walk towards him. But Sebastian wrapped a single arm around her waist and lifted the squirming girl off the ground.

"Don't go near it," he snapped.

"He's not a bad person." Aliya struggled against her father's hold.

"It's not a person anymore," Sebastian threw a knife into Drocell's shoulder. The man rocked back slightly but didn't bleed. Aliya gasped and Ciel's eyes widened.

"You knew me as a human my fair lady," Drocell sounded sad as he pulled off one of his gloves. His hand was artificial, made of jointed wood.

"He's a puppet too?" Ciel asked.

"If you can see his soul, you must realize that it is no longer a full one. I could recognize the stench of his mangled soul since first arriving," Sebastian said with distain.

"My mother, she…how could she?" Aliya whimpered.

"Ariel has come at last, come at last, come at last. Ariel has come at last, my fair lady." Drocell knelt before the gathering. As he did so a light came from the sky. It was as if a sun had appeared in the middle of the night. Ciel, Aliya, even Sebastian couldn't look directly at it. But they could still see the outline of a winged figure hovering in the air.

Sebastian could feel Aliya's body start to tremble with terror as he held her. He recognized the light show as nothing but an illusion angles used to impress mortals. The angel was too much of a coward to appear in the flesh. Still, he held Aliya tightly to his chest in order to stop her shivering.

"I have failed, Mistress," Drocell addressed the image.

"Not entirely, still, you are no longer of use to me," the angel's voice answered. Drocell's body burst into flame and started to burn away. "Never forget that you belong to me, Aliya. You will have to come home soon," the angel said spitefully. Then in a flash of light, she disappeared. There was silence for a moment and Aliya's shaking slowly subsided.

"Is she gone?" Ciel asked.

"She has retreated for the moment," Sebastian nodded.

"Do you know who she was?"

"I may have heard of her. However, 'Ariel' is a common name among angels," he answered vaguely. Ciel eyed the demon suspiciously and tried to decide if he should question further.

"Little girl," Drocell said softly from where he lay on the ground. His voice had lost its unnatural quality.

"Huh?" Aliya turned to him. Sebastian carried her closer to the burnt puppet.

"Have you gotten better yet?" the puppet man asked.

"Not entirely," she said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I tried to help," Drocell sighed. Ciel watched this scene with fascination; it was as if the man had suddenly been released from the angel's control. But his wooden body was still burning.

"There is one thing you could do," Sebastian spoke up suddenly. Drocell's eyes glanced at him. "Your soul," the red eyed demon said bluntly.

"It is broken, just like the rest of my body. I could never have an afterlife now. So, yes, you may have it." Drocell smiled but the flame reached his head.

"Thank you," Aliya whispered.

**Seasnake: Several people have written reviews asking me to introduce Aliya's mother. I hope this chapter was satisfying. Because, that is all you are going to see of the angel for a while. I wanted to have her build up suspense before appearing in the flesh. Sorry, if this annoys anyone. I promise she will appear in person and have a face to face conversation with Sebastian before chapter 28 but that is the best I can do.**


	19. Black Nails

Ciel turned his back to the scene. He didn't want to watch Drocell's face burn or know how demons ate souls. Instead, he scanned the horizon in search of the London skyline. He looked but there was nothing he recognized. They must truly be in the middle of nowhere. Then he noticed a man swiftly approaching.

"Grell's back," he said as a warning to Sebastian.

"Sebe!" the shinigami yelled with little hearts floating about his head. Sebastian refused to be surprised and calmly kicked Grell in the face. "Ahh! I fight off an army of creepy metal girls, get lost in a castle, and that is the thanks I get? You hit a lady in her face?" Grell wailed.

"I suggest you leave," said Sebastian.

"I'm not going anywhere. I saw that angel, we shinigami don't want them interfering with our work," Grell said with a pout.

"She's gone now but that display of lights might attract attention," Sebastian didn't say who would be interested but Grell understood.

"But where's the tramp?" Grell fumed.

"Young Master, what did you tell him?" the demon sighed.

"I thought you were a gentleman," Grell ranted.

"Oh shut up! I won't listen to this!" Aliya shouted. She clenched her hand into a fist and took a step forward as if she were going to fight the shinigami. However, a sharp pain suddenly shot though her abdomen and made her stop.

"Ugh, my stomach." Aliya doubled over and held her sides.

"A soul like that is not very good meal, especially for you. But it's better than nothing," the demon said.

"Oww…I'm going to throw up." the girl moaned.

"That will only make it hurt worse," Sebastian cautioned.

"Uh, maybe I should be going." Grell glanced around nervously as if he felt a new presence. Either that or he was disgusted by Aliya.

"Follow us and I will kill you," Sebastian said simply. He picked up Aliya so she was sitting in one of his arms. "Young Master, I'll have to carry you both," Sebastian warned then lifted Ciel onto his other side. "Try not to make a mess," he told the girl before leaping away from the castle.

"That's it? Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" Grell yelled after them.

Sebastian carried the two children for miles back to the mansion. The events of that night had worn Ciel out and he started to doze off on the trip home. Aliya felt horribly guilty for everything that had happened and horribly awful as her body rejected the demon food. Once at home, Sebastian put both children to bed and ordered them to get plenty of sleep. Ciel hardly needed encouragement but Aliya was plagued with pain and it took her a while to fall into a fitful slumber.

When Ciel awoke the next morning it took him a moment to remember where he was. It was hard for him to believe that he was safely at his home after what had happened last night. "Good morning, Young Master," Sebastian greeted him as always and opened the curtains.

"Is it all taken care of?" the boy asked as he sat up.

"The castle had stood abandoned for years before the angel took up residence. That has been dealt with. Scotland Yard has also discovered the bodies of the girls and kidnaper. Naturally, they will know nothing of the angel's involvement," Sebastian recited. Ciel was somewhat relieved by Sebastian's unyielding efficiency.

"And Aliya?" he asked.

"Her physical pain has ended but she feels listless. I have provided her with reading material that I hope will improve her mood," the butler said as if he didn't care but Ciel could hear a slight difference in his voice.

Aliya had fallen into a state of depression. Drocell had been a nice man but suffered a fate worse than death because of her. Then, he had killed eight innocent girls on her mother's orders. How could Aliya not feel guilty? If she wasn't around then none of this would have happened. It was not the first time Aliya had wished she that had never been born but the thoughts still hurt. Her father brought her books to read but she felt too tired to pick them up.

Aliya didn't move from her room or even get out of bed for days. Eventually, Sebastian came to speak with her. Aliya lay still with her wings unfolded. The girl hugged a pillow and stared at the wall. Sebastian stood next to the bed and tried to get her attention.

"Aliya, I could show you how to prepare the afternoon tea," he offered.

"No, I don't want to do anything," she spoke barely above a whisper.

"You aren't helping yourself," he remarked.

"I wish I was never born," Aliya muttered and curled into a ball.

"Child, you did not ask to be the gray winged creature. Neither did you kill that man or the girls. The angel did, she is too blame for everything not you," Sebastian said reassuringly

"She's a monster. But she made me. I'm her little girl."

"Being born in a position doesn't mean you are trapped in it. I can assure you of that."

"Huh?" Aliya turned to look at her father.

"In my experience," Sebastian smiled with his red eyes glowing, "the best course of action is to kill the one responsible for your misery and move forward from there."

"…" Aliya sat up slowly and considered for a moment. "My mother needs to die," Aliya growled and flapped her gray wings angrily. Without the girl meaning to, her eyes shone with dark power.

"That's better." Sebastian placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders. His fatherly affection made Aliya's depression ebb away.

"Get dressed and I'll let you help me around the house." Sebastian smiled at her.

"Yes, father," Aliya nodded. The butler left her room and Aliya looked through her dresses. She selected one and carefully put it on. Sebastian would lecture her if she dressed sloppily. As Aliya tied her shoes she noticed something. The girl scrutinized her hand and a jolt of happiness went through her.

"How's Aliya?" Ciel asked. Sebastian was serving him tea in his study and Ciel had noticed the girl's absence.

"Better," the butler didn't elaborate but Ciel understood anyway.

"Father!" the girl in question burst into the room. Sebastian gave her a disapproving look for not knocking. "Father, look at this!" Aliya ignored his glare and held up her hand with pride. "My nails are darker gray. They used to be light gray now they're closer black."

"Hmm, let me see," Sebastian forgot about her breach of etiquette and took her small hand in his. "Yes, I see a difference. It must be from your first meal," he said.

"It means I'm becoming a demon. If my nails can change color than so can my wings. I'm not doomed to be the gray winged creature after all!" Aliya hugged her father.

"The prophecy said you could grow to be a demon," Sebastian agreed.

"Congratulations," Ciel added. He felt the need to comment on the scene.

"Thank you, Ciel," Aliya smiled at the young earl.

"You should probably wear gloves around the house now," Sebastian observed.

"They aren't **that** black," Aliya quickly tried to dodge his statement.

**Seasnake: That concludes the Drocell story ark. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Comments are welcome.**


	20. In Someways all Children are the Same

"Ciel?" Aliya's voice disturbed the young earl one afternoon several days after they had safety returned from the battle with Drocell.

"What?" he demanded. He was busy trying to review financial documents from his company and didn't want to be disturbed. Ciel didn't bother to look up as the girl entered his study, so he didn't notice that she had neglected to knock on the door again.

"I'm bored. Do you want to play a game with me?" she asked.

"No," he answered bluntly, "I don't have time for childish things like that."

"Father is busy and I'm not in the mood to read." Aliya carefully closed the door behind her.

"That's too bad."

"You like playing chess, right? Can you teach me?" she persisted.

"Aliya, I'm working right now," he said crossly. Ciel contemplated calling Sebastian into the room and having him find something for the girl to do. Aliya was his responsibility after all.

"Oh well, I will have to eat this by myself then," Aliya said in a disappointed voice. Ciel glanced up in time to see her pull a foil wrapped object out of her pocket.

"What is that?" the boy asked. He was suddenly interested in what the girl had to say.

"Chocolate. I nicked it from the kitchen. Nobody will notice that it's missing until Father starts work on tonight's desert." She smiled mischievously and held up the candy for him to see.

"You're bribing me?" Ciel asked. He eyed the candy. It was the finest kind of chocolate that Sebastian always baked into things. Ciel hardly ever got to eat it plain. Just thinking about the chocolate was making him crave sugar.

"Well, I planned on eating it myself. But then it occurred to me that you would probably enjoy it more than I would. Of course, if you are too busy to spend any time with me, than I have no reason to share," Aliya tapped the end of the chocolate bar against her chin thoughtfully.

"That is what people call a bribe."

"Than, yes, I am bribing you." The girl smiled. Ciel thought for a moment and glanced over his papers. His work could wait until later.

Ciel nibbled on his new bar of chocolate while he explained the rules to Aliya. She was picking up the concept of chess very quickly. She kept on double checking where the knight could move but other than that had no problems. After only a few practice matches she was able to play seriously against the earl. Ciel won all of their games but Aliya didn't seem to mind. After beating her for the fifth time in a row, not without some difficulty though, Ciel suggested that they play a different game. Aliya asked to see checkers. This wasn't Ciel's favorite game but he was actually having some fun playing with Aliya so he taught it to her anyway. Checkers was simpler and Aliya mastered it quickly. This time Aliya defeated Ciel in their matches. The earl hastily suggested that they change their sport to pool.

"This is a popular game. It would be useful for you to understand," Ciel commented as he entered the billiards room.

"It must be popular. A whole room of the house is dedicated to it," Aliya said while she eyed the pool table. Ciel closed the door before removing the quickly dwindling chocolate bar from his pocket. The last thing he wanted was for Sebastian to catch him snacking. Ciel selected two of his custom pool ques, which were considerably shorter than the ones for adults, and handed one to Aliya. The girl eyed the unusual piece of wood suspiciously.

"There are many variations on this game. But the goal is always to hit your opponents balls into the pockets before yours are gone," Ciel explained the basics as he retrieved the pool balls.

"That seems rather pointless," Aliya commented.

"Pointless?" he repeated.

"Yes. I was expecting something more impressive."

"What? Death matches with the pool ques?"

"Maybe?" she shrugged. "I understand chess. It is a battle strategy game. I understand checkers, you are trying to overwhelm your opponent. I understand board games with dice, those are a race to the finish line. But what is the point of knocking spheres into pockets?" Aliya held the pool que across her shoulders with both hands. She pressed it against the back of her neck while she talked as a form of fidgeting.

"This is a game of skill," Ciel answered.

"A useless skill. When would you ever use this ability again?"

"Never. This is just a game. I didn't make up the rules," Ciel placed the balls in the center of the table. "Do you want to play or not?" Aliya considered that for a moment than shrugged.

"Might as well." Ciel took a big bite of his chocolate then placed the que ball on its spot.

It took Sebastian a few minutes to locate the children. He hadn't expected the Young Master to wander off. By the time he found them in the billiards room he was running a minute behind schedule.

"Young Master, have you lost track of time?" the demon said crossly when he saw the two children playing happily together.

"What is so important?" Ciel asked as he lined up to take his shot.

"You have a violin lesson this afternoon," he said with disappointment at the boy's forgetfulness in his voice. Aliya didn't say anything as she sat in a nearby chair. Ciel struck the que ball and watched it roll before responding.

"I recall that my tutor wasn't available today."

"Yes, I am supposed to act as your instructor for the day," Sebastian reminded. Ciel frowned as he suddenly recalled that conversation.

"Can it wait? We are in the middle of our third game," Aliya piped up.

"No, schedules should not be changed on a whim," the butler said distastefully.

"Fine. Aliya you are ahead at the moment so let's say you won this game. That means you've won two out of the three games. Well played," Ciel nodded to the girl and irritably dropped his pool que onto the table. The boy left the room as a mess with the obvious intention of letting Sebastian clean it. Once Ciel rounded a corner Sebastian turned to Aliya and spoke low enough that the boy couldn't hear. "Would you mind picking up while I teach the Young Master?"

Aliya returned the pool ques in their spot on the wall and replaced all the balls where they had been before. It only took a minute to pick up so she didn't mind. When she was finished with the easy task she took a moment to stretch. She interlocked her fingers and flexed them backwards. They didn't make a menacing crack like her Father's did when he popped his knuckles before making a fist, but Aliya assumed that was just because she was younger. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. She felt a little tired; she should get some sleep tonight. The girl was just about to head to the library when she heard her name called.

"Aliya!" She could clearly hear her father's shout as the sound reverberated through the manor. Aliya knew the human servants wouldn't be able to perceive the sound as clearly as she did. It wasn't just her better hearing but also an inexplicable parent and child thing.

"I wonder what he wants," Aliya murmured as she headed towards the source of the summons.

"Yes, Father?" Aliya entered the room without knocking. However, neither Sebastian nor Ciel were in the mood to correct her breach of etiquette. The earl stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the demon with obvious indignation. Meanwhile, Sebastian merely seemed slightly amused by the whole situation.

"Is she your trophy now?" Ciel grumbled.

"I'm simply saying," Sebastian continued to sound in control of the argument.

"What kind of butler insults his master in such an outright manner?" the boy demanded.

"Huh? Excuse me, what did I miss?" Aliya managed to interrupt.

"Have you ever played the violin?" Ciel questioned her.

"…No," she said with a confused look.

"Ever seen someone play the violin?"

"I don't think so," Aliya answered after thinking for a moment.

"Ever heard the violin played?"

"Maybe once or twice, I'm not sure," she shrugged.

"You couldn't do it, Sebastian," Ciel promptly turned back to the man.

"But, Young Master, I'm one hell of a butler," he smirked.

"Forget it, it's impossible," the boy snorted.

"If that is so, why not make the wager?" Sebastian offered.

"You place bets on your daughter?" Ciel glared at him.

"I know Aliya is an extremely fast learner. But, I'm mostly betting on my teaching ability," the demon insisted.

"How long did it take you to learn the violin?"

"More than few days," Sebastian said simply.

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here!" Aliya stood in front of the other two with an irritated look on her face. "What is going on?" she demanded.

"The Young Master was having a great deal of trouble playing the piece I assigned him. He couldn't hit the higher notes correctly. I merely pointed out that he was doing quite poorly. He claimed it to be a difficult piece and I told him he was overreacting," Sebastian explained. Ciel didn't say anything and continued to glower at his butler. "I said that my daughter, with perhaps only a day's training on the violin could play the piece better than he was. Apparently he took offence at this."

"You don't think I could do better?" Aliya asked the earl.

"I'm sure you could, but not without some practice," the boy corrected.

"I still think that you are overreacting," Sebastian said smugly.

"I've been practicing this instrument for years! You knew damn well I would take offense at that!" Ciel snapped.

"If you can prove me wrong, I will apologize," Sebastian answered with an arrogant grin.

"Not only that, if I can best two demons I won't need you to tutor me anymore," Ciel added. He jumped at the chance to relieve the demon of his substitute tutor duties.

"Very well. However, if I can teach Aliya to play the violin in one day, then the Young Master would have no reason to complain about my teaching methods," Sebastian continued.

"Fine. Let's hear her play the piece at this time tomorrow," Ciel decided. With that the boy stalked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" the butler called after him.

"If my lesson is over, I have work to do," he said before disappearing. He slammed the door behind him in a very un-earl like manner.

"Father, must you provoke him?" Aliya rolled her eyes.

"It is not my fault the Young Master is irritable," Sebastian said innocently.

"But, why include me in your arguments?" she asked.

"I merely mentioned you as an example of someone who could play the piece correctly. It was the Young Master who issued the challenge. Besides, is it not a father's privilege to brag about his children?" he answered. Aliya couldn't help but smile when he complimented her. "I only have a day to train you, so let's begin." Sebastian handed her an oddly shaped piece of wood.

"What is this?"

"A violin."

When teaching Aliya, Sebastian mostly just instructed her to watch him carefully. He would then play the instrument flawlessly and the girl would mimic his movements. This proved to be surprisingly effective. By the time Sebastian had to leave Aliya to do his other chores, the girl had mastered the basic notes. Aliya continued to practice while her father preformed his duties as a butler. She had no idea how to read music but her abilities to hear and copy sounds were almost inhumanly intone so she didn't need the sheet music.

Sebastian had her practice all day and then tutored her all night. Aliya had been hoping to get some sleep but her father insisted that she stay up. By morning, Aliya's fingers were sore so Sebastian gave her some time to rest before her challenge.

When Ciel arrived that afternoon he saw that Sebastian and Aliya were already in the room. The girl held the violin, an instrument she had never seen before yesterday, and seemed very comfortable with it. She was practicing her scales when Ciel entered. Hearing her play made the boy slightly concerned. Perhaps she shouldn't have challenged the demons. Oh well, too late to turn back now.

"Not bad," Ciel complimented her. He decided not to be mean to the girl. After all, she hadn't been involved in his argument with Sebastian.

"Thank you," Aliya smiled and lowered her instrument.

"There is only one violin your size, so you will have to play one at a time," said Sebastian.

"I'll go first," Ciel offered. He would prefer to be calm and confident while playing. It wouldn't help his cause if he listened to Aliya play first and became nervous about her skill. Aliya nodded and handed him the instrument.

Ciel didn't do poorly, after all, he had been practicing for years. Still, Sebastian shook his head whenever the boy made a mistake. Aliya watched him closely and took note of the spots he had trouble with.

"Young Master, you really must practice those high notes," Sebastian commented once the boy finished. Ciel just glared at him.

"Here, Aliya. Show me how much you learned in a day," the earl passed the violin back to the girl.

"Do your best, child," Sebastian said encouragingly. He had a very confident look on his face. Aliya nodded and positioned the instrument on her shoulder.

"I have the song memorized," Aliya explained why she wasn't looking at the sheet music. She closed her eyes to concentrate and started to move the bow across the strings.

Ciel couldn't help but gape slightly. She was surprisingly good. He had expected her to learn quickly but not in a day's time. Sebastian continued to smile smugly as Aliya hit all of the notes. However, half-way through the song, in one of the most complicated parts, Aliya stumbled. She forgot a whole stanza and fumbled a few of the notes. Ciel suddenly looked hopeful. He knew it was rude to wish for others to do poorly but if she messed up again he would probably win. Sebastian looked a little less arrogant now, he listened to Aliya near the end of the piece. In one of the last few lines Aliya's grip on the bow slipped and caused it to make a horrible screeching sound on the strings. She hastily corrected her hold and finished the song.

"You did very well, Aliya, but you made several amateur mistakes," Ciel said when she finished.

"Yes, I know I messed up a couple notes," Aliya nodded.

"You also left out a stanza in the middle," the earl reminded her.

"I did?" Aliya tilted her head as if in thought.

"I have won this. Don't you agree, Sebastian?" Ciel smirked at his butler.

"Yes. I apologize for insulting your skills, my lord," Sebastian admitted, rather grudgingly.

"From now on I won't need you to fill in for my violin lessons," Ciel said triumphantly.

"Yes, my lord."

"Well played, Aliya," Ciel nodded politely to the girl. "I'll be in my study, I still have to finish some business," he said as he left. He was grinning with victory as he closed the door behind him.

"You let him win, didn't you?" Sebastian turned to the girl the second Ciel was gone. Aliya glanced up at her father with a guilty smile.

"I deliberately disobeyed you, Father."

"Why?" Sebastian sighed and held his hand to his head.

"He seemed to hate having you act as his violin tutor. He also let me win at pool," Aliya shrugged.

"You disobeyed me to make a human happy?"

"I decided that he would be more upset with me winning than you would be upset with my losing. Punish me if you want to," she said with a very calm expression.

"…It is rather hot today. You will fetch water for every flower bush on the manor grounds," Sebastian decided, "and you will not rest until finished with this task," he added.

"I'll do as you say," Aliya nodded and headed to the door. As she walked away Sebastian sighed again.

"_I should have anticipated that Aliya and the Young Master would become friends,"_ he thought.


	21. A Summer Day

By now it was summer time in England. That year, frequent rain showers had kept the summer heat in check. However, one day was the exception to that rule. There was a prefect combination of blazing sun, high temperature, no wind, and extreme humidity to make the weather unbearable. It was like a sauna outside. There was so much moisture in the air that sweat barely evaporated off people's skin. In the London harbors not even the ocean breeze helped make the weather any better.

At the Phantomhive manor, all the windows were open to let in what little wind there was. Still, the indoors was only slightly better than standing outside in the shade. All the human servants at the manor were working at less than half their normal pace. Finny was supposed to be in the garden but kept retreating inside. The boy would then chug a few buckets of water before returning to stand in the scorching sun. Bard had actually put his explosives away for the day because it was too hot to play with fire. Maylene moved uncharacteristically sluggish but still managed to drop things despite walking slower. Even Tanaka was affected by the heat. The elderly man switched out his normal beverage for iced tea that day.

Despite the insufferable heat Ciel attempted to focus on his work. He tried to ignore the weather but that proved impossible. The boy ended up taking off his jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as high as they would go. His feet were also uncomfortable so he even pulled off his shoes. He decided he didn't care if Sebastian lectured him. It was much too hot to worry about the cranky demon.

Even with several garments now sitting on the chair next to him, Ciel was still uncomfortable. The boy decided to give up on work and just take a book to the cellar. It should be cooler down there. As he walked through the house towards the basement he ran into Sebastian and Aliya Michaelis. The butler didn't wear his jacket and had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up as he worked. A bucket of water sat by his feet as he used a rag to scrub the stone mantelpiece clean. He must have told Aliya to watch and learn because the girl was studding his movements. Her pair of gray feathered wings extended from her back. The wings didn't appear to be flapping but she was somehow effortlessly suspended in air. Aliya held her hands clasped behind her back as she looked over her father's shoulder.

Ciel couldn't help but stare at Aliya while she hung several feet off the ground, as if it was nothing unordinary.

"Good afternoon, Young Master," Sebastian greeted the boy. Aliya also turned to look at him.

"What's good about it?" Ciel remarked bitterly.

"Do you mind if I use my wings in the house?" Aliya asked. Ciel didn't know if she had seen him staring at her, or if she was merely trying to be polite.

"Not at all, as long as the others don't see you, of course," he assured the girl.

"Thanks, I hate having to hide them all the time," Aliya smiled.

"So, Sebastian," Ciel addressed the demon and eyed his rolled up sleeves. "It seems even you are affected by this heat."

"Not particularly," Sebastian said boastfully.

"I'm affected by it. I hate this muggy weather," Aliya spoke up. She stuck out her tongue like a panting dog to indicate how hot she was. Ciel noticed that the girl wasn't wearing a dress. Instead she had on the gray pants, a short sleeved shirt, and was barefoot.

"Children complain too much," Sebastian said, as if that explained everything.

"Sebastian, can you change the weather?" the earl asked mockingly.

"No," the demon answered in a tone of voice that said Ceil's question was absurd.

"In that case, I have absolutely no use for you right now. Please, continue with what you were doing," Ciel said insultingly and continued on his way to the cellar.

It was, in fact, cooler in the cellar, much to Ciel's relief. The boy found a seat and read his book. As he sat there it occurred to him that Sebastian hadn't commented on his sloppy appearance. He had expected the demon to at least mention it. "_I guess, I have Aliya to thank for that,"_ Ciel thought with a smile. Aliya was also wearing something different today. She must have convinced her father to let her dress down for the weather. Amazingly, Aliya was actually getting Sebastian to be less picky about things that would have irritated him a few months ago. This made Ciel feel quite satisfied.

Ciel sat undisturbed in the basement for several hours. Eventually Sebastian told the boy that he should come upstairs and stop slacking off. Also, it was time for afternoon tea. The earl reluctantly returned to the much hotter levels of the house. Ciel sat behind his desk as Sebastian appeared with the tea trolley. Aliya still tailed her father and joined him in the room. However, her wings were now hidden and she stood with her feet on the floor.

"You actually baked something in this heat?" Ciel noticed the two cakes that were on the trolley.

"I'm not particularly bothered by the weather. But the Young Master really should dress properly despite the heat."

"Aliya is barefoot and you still aren't wearing your coat," Ciel pointed out.

"Aliya is not an earl and last year you told me that it looked unusual to wear wool in summer weather," the demon said rather smugly. Now that he mentioned it, Ciel remembered saying that so he changed the topic.

"Why are there two cakes?" he asked.

"You didn't have a use for me, so I took the opportunity to give Aliya a lesson in basic cooking skills. She made this one." Sebastian cut a slice from the smaller of the two cakes and passed it to the earl.

"Well, how is it?" Aliya asked. She stood happily next to Ciel's chair as he tasted a piece of the cake she had baked.

"Ugh," the boy made a face after one bite, "what did you do, confuse the salt with the sugar?" He insulted the food and shoved the plate at Aliya.

"It's not that bad. You just like things drowned in sugar," the girl retorted.

"No, it's just awful," Ciel answered.

"Hemph," Aliya snorted indignantly as she held the rejected cake.

"My apologies, Young Master, Aliya has yet to develop a taste for fine foods," Sebastian sounded like he was more entertained than sorry. Ciel wondered if feeding him Aliya's horrible cake was retaliation for the earl's insult a few hours ago. The demon butler handed Ciel a new plate of a sugary desert which the boy accepted.

"You're too picky after eating Father's food for so long. I'm used to living off rain water and old bread," Aliya continued. She took a bite of her cake as she spoke.

"That is exactly why you have no taste." The elder Michaelis snatched the desert from her before she could eat any more of it. "Learning human cuisine is tricky but you'll get it eventually."

"I don't understand why human civilization puts so much emphasis on cooking. It seems like nothing but playing with food, to me," the girl shrugged.

"Oh? All creatures strive for the best tasting food possible. Here, try this." The butler cut her a small piece of the cake he had prepared. Ciel listened to their conversation as he chewed his treat.

"Mmm, it's good," Aliya said happily once she tasted it.

"Of course, it is, I'm one hell of a butler," Sebastian said with a smile.

"It's great that you're trying to teach Aliya new skills. But use the servants as the test subjects next time," Ciel told them irritably.

"Now Young Master, about the guests arriving tomorrow," Sebastian changed the topic.

"Hopefully the weather will be nicer by then. Still, I assume you will have everything ready," said Ciel.

"As I just said, of course," the black haired man smiled. He faced Ciel's desk as he spoke in a pleasant tone. "I've arranged the place settings at the table so that the Young Master will have to engage in minimal idle conversation. Aliya, don't touch that. As for the dinner I'm planning," Sebastian continued but Ciel stopped listening. The boy craned his neck so that he could see around the butler. Aliya stood next to the tea trolley with her hand dangerously close to her father's cake. She had obviously been trying to sneak a bite while his back was turned. The girl suspiciously watched the back of Sebastian's head. Sebastian didn't even look at her as he continued to talk. "Does this meet your approval, Young Master?" he asked as if nothing had disturbed his conversation.

"Yes, that's all fine," the earl quickly returned his attention to the matter at hand.

"Sebastian," Finny nervously arrived in the room. Everyone turned to look at the boy as he entered.

"Yes?" the butler asked suspiciously.

"All the flowers are dead. I put bad water in the vases by mistake," the boy admitted. Sebastian gave an exasperated sigh.

"What about the others? Have they managed to destroy anything yet?" he said insultingly.

"Umm, I don't think so," Finny answered timidly.

"If the plants are dead, throw them out." he instructed the boy. "I'll have to find more flowers. Aliya, take one bite of that you will polish every piece of silverware in the house." The demon gave his daughter a sideways glance as he talked to Finny. Aliya held a slice of the cake again. She had tried to quickly steal a piece while her father was distracted. Her attempt had almost succeeded; the cake was very close to her mouth. Aliya paused to consider if the punishment was worth it. The cake was excellent tasting but there was a lot of silverware in the mansion. And "polished" meant that every piece of metal would have to meet her father's ridiculously high standards. Aliya gave a sigh of defeat and reluctantly returned the slice of cake to its plate.

Once Finny left Sebastian spoke to his daughter again. "Aliya, why don't you read some of your study material? I have other chores to attend to."

"Can I give this to the servants? It'd be a shame to let it go to waste," Aliya indicated the cake she had made.

"I don't think they deserve it," Sebastian answered.

"No, let them have it. A taste of that cake is exactly what they deserve," Ciel commented.

"They'll appreciate it, unlike you, Ciel" Aliya said jokingly to the earl.

"Eat any of it and you will be in trouble," Sebastian warned the girl as she walked out of the room carrying the plate of cake.

"You're really starting to sound like a father," Ciel observed

"I'm used to dealing with children," the demon answered. Ciel gave him a nasty glare.

"There is one thing that concerns me about tomorrow," Ciel pulled out a stack of papers that Sebastian had given him earlier. It was a detailed list of information on all of the expected guests. "This data contradicts my other sources." The boy tapped a page with his finger.

"Yes, that business is a small one but there seems to be a great deal of question about their practices," Sebastian agreed as he stacked plates on the tea trolley.

"I've been investigating this company. That's why I invited the owner to come tomorrow," Ciel nodded. "But it could be hard to prove that his money is dirty."

"I have already thought of that," the butler spoke up. Ciel watched him with a bored expression. "It's come to my attention that the secretary is female. If you require their business records, I can always get information out of women," Sebastian offered with a smirk.

Ciel instantly reached for the nearest hefty object on his desk, which happened to be his pen, and promptly chucked it at the demon's head.

"Must you throw things?" Sebastian easily dodged the clumsy projectile.

"You're a father now, be responsible!" the boy snapped at him.

"Young Master, since when do you care how I get my information?" he said in an irritably nonchalant voice.

"Since you are supposed to be taking care of Aliya. She won't be happy if she sees you acting like a whore," Ciel retorted.

"Did you just call me a whore?" The demon raised an eyebrow and didn't even try to hide his amusement.

"Aliya's not stupid. She will notice if you go around seducing women," Ciel continued with the conversation.

"You are overreacting," Sebastian said as he bent to pick the pen off the floor.

"I'm overreacting? You're supposed to be her role model. Aliya wants to do whatever you do. Isn't she a little young for that sort of thing, even by demon standards?" the earl added. Sebastian made a face and Ciel knew he had won the argument.

"I can find copies of their business records another way if that is what you prefer," Sebastian said as if it was Ciel's request alone and nothing to do with Aliya that caused him to change his plans.

"Good," the earl said smugly and held out his hand for Sebastian to give him back the pen. He was obviously enjoying this victory.

As Ciel and Sebastian talked dark clouds started to move across the sky. It quickly became obvious that rain was on the way. Everyone in the house was relieved when a stiff breeze arrived and lessened some of the stifling heat. With a storm on the way Sebastian closed all of the windows and checked that the servants hadn't left anything outside. He suggested that Ciel could dress properly again now that it was cooler. However, the boy refused that suggestion with the clear intention of annoying him. Sebastian sighed, it was just one of those days that the Young Master acted like a stubborn child instead the adult he claimed to be. Speaking of stubborn children, where had Aliya gotten to?

Aliya stood on the roof of the house as the storm blew in. She was amused by how gritty the shingles felt beneath her bare feet and how the wind whipped her hair around. The sound of trees groaning in the storm and rain hitting the roof was soothing. The sensation of water droplets pelting her skin made her smile. As lightning started to flash across the sky, Aliya unfolded her wings and spread them so that she could feel water drip between her feathers. She sat on the edge of the roof with her feet hanging off the ledge. Aliya swung her feet back and forth and adjusted her wings to keep her steady in the wind, all while having a content smile on her face.

This weather made her calm. A thunderstorm was a good thing for Aliya while she lived with her mother. A storm used to make her mother upset and distract her from beating Aliya. And the sound of thunder always drowned out the noise of people chanting their prayers or sermons. Aliya had always wanted to see a storm not just listen to one from her cell. It wasn't until the day she escaped that she got the chance. Heavy rain had been coming down all that afternoon. The church was starting to flood so all of the angel's minions were distracted. Aliya took that opportunity to get free from her cell without anyone noticing. The sound of rain had then drowned out the noise of Aliya killing the guards. Aliya was probably half way to London before anybody noticed she was gone.

"Are you ready to come inside, yet?" Sebastian's voice made her snap out of her daydreaming. Aliya turned to look at her father. He joined her on the roof but held a coat about himself to avoid getting wet.

"No, I like it out here," Aliya answered.

"You are soaking wet."

"So? A little water isn't going to kill me."

"I suppose it won't," Sebastian sighed because he had no good argument to get her off the roof.

"Sit with me?" Aliya suggested.

"Absolutely not," he instantly rejected that idea.

"It's fun to be in the rain," she insisted.

"There is nothing fun about getting soaked or acting so childish," he answered. Aliya shrugged and turned her attention back to watching the trees swaying in the wind.

As the girl sat there she suddenly felt something hard hit the top of her head. "Huh?" She glanced up. Another twinge of pain came from her shoulder. The girl looked about with confusion. It felt like rocks were hitting her. Her wings twitched as tiny projectiles struck them. "What?" Aliya noticed that small white spheres were falling from the sky along with the rain. She picked up one of the tiny objects from the roof and studied it. It was cold to the touch, ice?

"Ow!" Aliya suddenly exclaimed. She held her head as a sharp pain shot through her skull. The projectiles were coming in faster now. They had also somehow become bigger and were now almost two inches in diameter. She cringed as more ice spheres continued to pummel her. Aliya covered her head with her arms and jumped to her feet.

"Father! This hurts," she whimpered as she ran to him.

Sebastian watched the scene and let Aliya scamper towards him. She huddled against his coat as she stared at the strange objects falling from the sky.

"It's called hail, child," Sebastian said with obvious amusement in his voice. The demon flicked away an especially large piece of hail that was falling towards his daughter's head.

"It's ice," Aliya glanced up at him as he sheltered her from the projectiles.

"When the wind is strong enough, the ice droplets in the clouds don't have time to melt and become rain. So, it falls as hail," he explained. "Ready to come inside now?" he asked with a smile. Aliya nodded, she didn't like hail very much.

In a few minutes Aliya sat wrapped in a warm blanket as Sebastian dried her hair. Her wet clothes were hung to dry in the tiled bathroom. She had shaken most of the water off her wings before folding them into her back. The symbol of her mother's cult was visible on her upper arm. The angel had labeled the girl as her property by carving a design into her flesh. The scar was old but it hadn't disappeared yet. Still, Aliya, and Sebastian, hoped that it would eventually heal. As she sat there, Aliya felt warm, comfortable, and safe. The girl smiled, things had turned out to be different here than at her mother's after all.

The defining sound of hail filled the manor but was periodically drowned out with a clap of thunder. Fortunately, Sebastian had already closed all the shutters so that the chunks of ice wouldn't break a window.

"This is an unusually harsh storm," the butler commented, more to himself than anyone.

"The humans are probably all scared," Aliya smiled.

"They retreated to the basement right before I came to get you." Sebastian set aside the wet towel after wringing most of the water droplets out of her head of hair. He then tried to run a comb through her hair but it snagged almost immediately. "Child, when did you last comb this?" he sighed.

"Huh…" Aliya thought for a moment. "I don't remember. I keep forgetting. I meant to this morning but I got distracted," she shrugged.

"You need to take better care of yourself," Sebastian said disapprovingly.

"I hardly ever combed it before. My hair doesn't tangle easily so it's not a problem," she protested. To prove her wrong, Sebastian yanked on one of the knots in her hair. "Ow, you did that on purpose," the girl complained. She turned her head to glare at him.

"Stay still or you can comb it yourself," Sebastian said simply. Aliya frowned but she obediently stopped squirming and let him run the comb through her hair.

Sebastian stood behind Aliya and untangled the knots in her hair. After some work, the comb stopped meeting resistance. Her hair hung straight and shown in the candle light like it was supposed to. Sebastian sighed and shook his head slightly. That took much longer than it should have. The demon ran his hand through her head of hair; he had taken off his gloves to keep them dry earlier. Aliya had without a doubt inherited this feature from him. He took hold of a few of the black strands and twirled them between his thumb and forefinger in admiration. They were exactly the same as his own. It was surprisingly incredible to see. He couldn't help but marvel at how much the child looked like him.

Aliya glanced up at her father as he played with her hair. "It's the same as yours isn't it, Father?" she asked with a small smile.

"Yes." Sebastian reached up and twisted a few stands of his own hair to double check that statement.

"Mother hated me for it," Aliya said softly and glanced away.

"Your mother is an angel. She only hated it because black hair makes you look like a demon," Sebastian said, he didn't want Aliya to think she was ugly.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. So, make sure to comb it more often."

"I'll do that," the girl nodded.


	22. Panic Attack

The storm last night hadn't left the Phantomhive manor completely unscathed. The landscaping required some repair and the gutters had to be replaced. Those details only added to the stress of that day. There were several guests coming over for diner and, of course, Sebastian insisted that everything be prefect. Consequently, Maylene carried a stack of plates to the kitchen in her normal precarious manner as quickly as possible. She needed to finish this task then hurry to work on preparations for the guests.

"I've brought the plates," Maylene called as she entered.

"Watch it!" Bard had been fixing his flamethrower but put the machine down and ran over to take some of the plates from the maid. "Sebastian will have our heads if you drop the fine china." With the chef's help all the plates made it to the table undamaged for a change. "That was close," Bard sighed. "Sebastian has already yelled at me twice this morning." At the mention of the butler, Maylene remembered something that she had been meaning to ask.

"Bard, how old do you suppose Sebastian is?"

"I don't know. In his twenties? Never really bothered to wonder," the man said indifferently.

"Y-yes but if Aliya is eleven…" the maid did a few numbers in her head.

"I suppose he could be in his thirties and look young," Bard sat back down at the table to continue work on his flame thrower.

"If Sebastian was eighteen when Aliya was born that would make him twenty-nine now." Maylene really didn't think Sebastian was that old.

"It's not unusual to get married at seventeen or eighteen," Bard pointed out.

"He never married, though," said the maid.

"Yeah, who would have guessed that Sebastian was the type of guy to have a kid without getting married?" Bard mused. "Makes wonder who the mother is."

"Ah…uh," Maylene turned red at the thought.

"Maybe Sebastian had a crazy youth. Aliya's mom could be a prostitute. That would explain why she was at the orphanage," Bard considered.

"Don't say things like that," Maylene blushed. "I'm sure it was something reasonable."

"You don't have to judge him so harshly. It's a very normal thing for unmarried guys." Bard had at some point decided that Aliya's mother was definitely a prostitute.

"Sebastian is a gentleman, he wouldn't do that!" Maylene insisted even though she had no evidence to support her statement.

"I read something recently about how the number of prostitutes in London has increased," Bard said absentmindedly.

"Men are so horrid!"

"Sebastian's a man too," the cook reminded her.

"Ah…except for him…and the young master," Maylene quickly corrected herself.

"Do I even want to know what you two are talking about?" Aliya stood in the open doorway to the kitchen.

"Ack, A-Aliya! How long have you been standing there?" Maylene jerked her head around to stare at the girl. Bard also looked surprised to see her.

"Not long," Aliya answered. The girl walked into the kitchen carrying a book under one arm. "So, what were you talking about?"

"Nothing much…" Bard answered vaguely and pretended to be fascinated with cleaning his flame thrower.

"Aliya, do you know how old your father is?" Maylene asked.

"No. But I can guarantee that he is older than you think," Aliya smiled. "Maylene, is this about your crush?"

"Wh…what? No!" Maylene covered her red cheeks with her hands.

"She's not very discrete, is she? When did you figure it out?" Bard addressed Aliya.

"It was obvious once father told me what it means when humans bleed from the nose," the girl answered without a speck of embarrassment in her voice.

"You didn't tell him I do that, did you?" Maylene pleaded.

"No." Aliya decided not to state the obvious fact that Sebastian already knew. "But try not to get you hopes up."

"Too late for that," Bard laughed. Maylene was too flustered to respond.

"Can you help me with this?" Aliya finally explained why she had come in the first place. She set a thick hardback book on the counter and flipped it open to her bookmarked page. "What does that mean?" Aliya pointed to a word. Maylene leaned closer to the girl to look.

"I-I'm not sure," she answered. "What are you reading?" She noticed that the page was full of long and complicated words.

"A collection of both versions of the play _The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus_, and a translated edition of _Faust Part One _by Goethe. Father said it would be a good thing for me to study."

"Study?"

"The language of course," Aliya quickly answered. "But there are lots of words I don't know."

"Why not use a dictionary," Bard asked.

"Ciel took the dictionary, he said he needed it for something," Aliya explained. "I've been asking Father for help. But he said if I bothered him one more time today than he would decapitate me and bury the evidence in the back yard."

"Sounds like you will have to read something else," Bard said.

"Hemph, oh well," Aliya sighed and shut the book.

"I need to get back to work," Maylene suddenly remembered. She quickly bustled out of the kitchen towards the wash room.

"Yeah, me too," the cook agreed. He set his flamethrower down on the table.

"Is it broken?" Aliya nodded to the flamethrower.

"Nah, it just needed to be cleaned. I'll use it later." Bard pulled open the knife drawer and started to examine the utensils. "I should sharpen these. Can't get anything done with a dull knife," he said cheerfully.

"I guess not." Aliya clearly had the intention of staying in the kitchen. She pulled herself up and sat on the counter.

"Want to help?" Bard noticed her sitting there. Aliya just shrugged. The girl amused herself by flipping through the pages of the thick book to create a miniature fan.

"Old books smell nice," she said absentmindedly.

"They just smell like dust to me. Why aren't you helping with the chores?" Brad stood next to the counter and started work on a butcher knife.

"Father wants to do everything himself. He would rather have everyone else out of the way. The only reason he can't completely cut you three out of the loop is because it is technically your jobs to work around the house." Aliya opened _The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus_ to the last page to see how it would end.

"You don't care that ladies are supposed to be reserved and delicate, do you?" Bard chuckled.

"Me? Reserved and delicate? I'll act anyway I want," Aliya said indignantly.

"What if Sebastian tells you to be a lady?"

"I draw the line at 'delicate'," the girl snorted. Bard smiled at Aliya's rebellious speech. If she wasn't the spitting image of him, Bard would never believe that she was the child of such an uptight control freak like Sebastian.

While Bard thought about Aliya, he lost focus on what he was doing. He had sharpened countless knives before but this time he made a stupid mistake and the blade slipped out of his hand. On reflux, he tried to compensate and grab the item before it hit the floor. But this, of course, is a very bad thing to do when one is holding a sharp object

"Shit!" Bard cursed as knife cut the palm of his hand.

"Huh?" Aliya looked up from her book.

"Shit, shit, shit," the cook muttered. Blood was coming out of the cut a lot faster than he would have liked. He quickly pressed the cloth of his apron to the injury to slow the bleeding. "I managed to cut myself, Goddamnit."

"Bard, are you alright?" She jumped down from the counter to help.

"It's not deep. Get the bandages from the left cupboard," he told Aliya. The girl didn't hesitate to fetch them.

"Heh, that was stupid," Bard grumbled. He had wrapped his apron around his hand while Aliya found a strip of cloth bandages.

"People drop things," Aliya said almost reassuringly.

"Yah." the man took the bandages and unwound the apron from his hand. He didn't have a place to set the soiled apron down so Aliya helpfully let him hand it to her instead of dropping it on the floor. Bard then quickly worked to tie some bandages around his cut.

"Y'know, some people drop things more than others. Maylene breaks everything, but I don't think I've seen your father drop a thing," Bard said cheerfully in an effort to ignore the pain in his hand. However, Aliya wasn't listening. The girl had gone numb. She held the bloodied apron with both hands and just stared at it. Her eyes had gotten a glazed look to them and she started to tremble slightly. Blood smeared white cloth, she hadn't thought about it until she was holding it. Now, though, the memories and fear came in an overwhelming wave.

Bard almost jumped out of his skin as Aliya let out a blood curdling scream. She screamed at the top of her lungs and even Ciel heard her from upstairs. "Aliya?" Bard asked nervously. The girl dropped to her knees as if unable to stand upright anymore. The apron had fallen on the floor in front of her. She grabbed her head with both hands in distress. "Hey, what's wrong?" Bard crouched down to look at her.

"No. Why, Mother, why? What did I do? Please…" Aliya muttered incoherently to herself. She was taking gasping breaths at an alarmingly fast rate and rocking back and forth.

"Aliya? Who you talking to?" He tried to touch the girl's arm and get her attention.

"Stay away! Don't hurt me!" Aliya shrieked and jerked away from him. Bard didn't know what to do, she was acting crazy.

Before the man could figure out what was going on, the door to the kitchen was thrown open. Sebastian, angrier than Bard had seen him in a long time, stood in the doorway. The butler gave one look to Aliya babbling on the floor and then to Bard. Without a moment's hesitation Sebastian stepped forward and smashed the human's head against the corner of the counter. He only used a fraction of his strength but it was enough of a blow to make Bard see stars. Bard crumpled to the floor with a painful groan.

Sebastian didn't wait to see how much he had injured the man. He tossed the bloody apron across the room and tried to speak to Aliya.

"Aliya, can you hear me?" The girl didn't respond. If she was human she would have passed out from hyperventilation and was barely conscious as she was. "I'm your father." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Stop! I can't take it anymore. Please, no more!" Aliya obviously didn't know where she was. Sebastian was afraid of this, a full-fledged panic attack.

The footsteps of the other members of the household were approaching. Sebastian didn't want them to watch this scene. Aliya's panic attack might last a while and having everyone around wouldn't make it end sooner. Not to mention, there would be complications if Aliya started screaming things about her mother being an angel. Despite Aliya's violent protests, Sebastian scooped the girl into his arms and carried her out of the room.

"What is going on?" Ciel had arrived downstairs impressively fast. Especially taking into account his physical frailty and the high healed shoes he wore. Maylene and Finny were also in the hallway outside the kitchen.

"Aliya is suffering from a panic attack. I'll tend to her," the demon said briefly then hurried to Aliya's bedroom. She was most familiar with her room; having her there might help.

"Is she alright?" Finny asked nervously. Aliya was screaming appeals for mercy between gasps for air and thrashing about mindlessly in her father's hold. Nobody volunteered to tell the boy that she most obviously was not alright.

Sebastian ran to Aliya's room at an inhuman speed once the others were out of sight. The girl was starting to make retching noises and he didn't want her to throw up on him. "Aliya, try to calm down," Sebastian didn't think she could understand him but perhaps hearing his voice would help. He made it to her room and set her down on the floor right before she hacked up the contents of her stomach. Sebastian noticed that there was chocolate in her vomit, and he had blamed the young master for the disappearance of sweets from the kitchen. He would have to speak to Aliya about that later.

After throwing up, Aliya seemed to calm down considerably. Her breathing became slower and she stopped screaming. Sebastian tried to talk to her but her eyes were still glazed over and unresponsive. The demon glanced at his pocket watch. This was taking too long. He needed to continue with his chores but he couldn't very well put Aliya in the care of the others. She was strong enough to break human bones if she went into fits again. And Ciel would order him to watch over Aliya for hours like a devoted parent should if he tried to leave her alone.

Sebastian sighed. Bard deserved a concussion for this.

"Aliya, are you awake yet? You had a panic attack. Your mother is not here. This is the Phantomhive manor." This time he thought he saw some recognition in Aliya's face at his words. Good, she was starting to come out of it. "You must be exhausted. There's your bed, take a nap and I'll bring you some water. You will feel better," he tried to speak reasonably to her. The girl heard at least a few of his words. But she took one look at her bed then became panicked again. Aliya whimpered and shrank away from her father. She stared at the floor and babbled mixed prayers and pleads for her torturers to stop. Sebastian was becoming very frustrated. Why was this girl being so weak?

He left Aliya huddled on the floor and went to open the window. Perhaps some fresh air would be better. While his back was turned he heard a snapping sound like the noise of breaking bones. Sebastian quickly turned around and saw that Aliya had bitten down on her hand so hard that she shattered the bones.

"Aliya, stop that." Sebastian knelt next to her again. The girl took her damaged hand out of her mouth but didn't look at him.

"I'm a creature. I hate it." Before Sebastian realized what she was doing, the girl shoved her thumbs into her eyes.

"Aliya! Don't hurt yourself." Sebastian grabbed her wrists and pulled her fingers out of her bloody eye sockets.

"I'm not doing anything. It's Mother, she hates my eyes," Aliya said very calmly as red liquid ran down her face.

"Your mother is not here," he said forcefully.

"I can't escape. She is my mother. She will always be part of me," Aliya whispered.

Sebastian sat silently for a moment. He had known that the angel had damaged Aliya's mental state but he had underestimated the extent of the scarring. He had seen human children suffer the effects of abuse. For example, Ciel had night terrors when he was eleven. Still, Aliya's self-mutilation was rather shocking. Her self-esteem was low but he never expected that she was self-destructive. This behavior was unacceptable.

"She is part of you but that doesn't mean she controls you, Aliya." The girl's eyes had already started to heal but she didn't turn her face towards him. "You have already escaped. Fear is the only thing making you think otherwise." Sebastian lectured her but carefully kept his voice from sounding angry. Scolding her would only make things worse. "Did you not already decide that the angel must die?" He reminded her of what she said after Drocell's death. By this point Aliya started crying and tears mixed with the blood from her eyes.

"Why am I so weak?" the girl demanded.

"You are young and were taught nothing but fear for most of your life. It will pass eventually," Sebastian said and let go of her wrists now that he was sure she wouldn't hurt herself more. The second her arms were free, Aliya hugged her father and buried her face in his coat. Sebastian allowed her to cry against him until she completely calmed down.

**Seasnake: Oh man, I feel bad for Bard. I like the guy. I didn't mean to pick on him. But first I got his name wrong and then I had him get hurt in this chapter. Sorry, Bard. **


	23. Aliya's Escape

Ciel stood in the hallway and waited for word from Sebastian. He had ordered the other servants back to work despite their complaints. Bard was the only one not working and that was just because he needed to sit still and hold ice to his head. The man had received a nasty bump from where Sebastian had hit him but would be alright. While the servants worked, the young earl stood in the hallway outside Aliya's room alone.

He knew that she was prone to panic attacks. She had almost lost it when her mother started talking through the corpse of a dead girl. Ciel didn't blame Aliya for that. He could understand what she was going through. Sebastian better not be scolding her right now.

After several minutes, Sebastian came out of Aliya's room. "Young Master, have you been here the whole time?" he asked in a mocking tone of voice when he noticed the boy.

"I was making sure you didn't abandon her," Ciel retorted. Sebastian smirked at him.

"Aliya has calmed down. She is taking a nap and should be back to normal in a few hours." He pulled his watch out his pocket. "I am behind schedule. I will leave now so that you may check on Aliya without feeling embarrassed."

"Idiot, go back to work," Ciel snapped. Sebastian bowed, gave the boy an obnoxious knowing grin, then left to continue with his chores.

Ciel waited until Sebastian had disappeared from view then went to Aliya's door. He hated it when the demon was right but he still wanted to check on Aliya. He opened the door a crack and looked in. The girl appeared asleep on her bed. Ciel was about to close the door but Aliya turned in bed and looked at him.

"Ciel?" she asked.

"You heard me?" he walked into the room and shut the door behind him. The last thing he needed was Sebastian to poke fun at him more.

"Your shoes make a really loud noise when you walk, click, click, click," Aliya said groggily and sat up in bed. She just wore her night dress and looked exhausted from crying. Ciel glanced down at his wooden soled shoes, he hadn't thought about that before. "I'm alright. Thank you for caring, Ciel," Aliya smiled. The earl quickly coughed to cover his embarrassment.

"I'll let you rest then," the boy turned to leave but Aliya said something to make him stop.

"Wait, Ciel, do you want to know how I escaped from my mother?"

"A little," he admitted.

"I haven't told my father. He's been injured so many times in his life that he wouldn't get it," Aliya sighed then placed her hands behind her back. She held her wrists together as if they were bound that way. "I'm not strong enough to break metal. Mother would shackle my hands behind my back. They wrapped chains around my forearms so tightly that I couldn't move at all." Aliya paused and glanced at Ciel. He stood respectfully quiet and listened. Truth was, he hadn't told anyone about his imprisonment either. Aliya bit her lip as if she wasn't sure to continue or not. She sat silently for a minute so Ciel decided to speak up.

"When I was imprisoned. They used to tie my hands together with twine. They would tighten the knots until it made me bleed," he said and glanced down at his hands. If most of his wounds hadn't healed, then there would be a crisscross pattern of scars all along his wrists. Aliya nodded understandingly then took a deep breath to continue her story.

"It was raining. My mother had left that morning. I…braced my shackled arms against a wall and broke both my shoulders over my head," she winced at the memory. "I managed to get my arms in front of me. It hurt like Hell. It even hurt as my shoulders healed."

"Wouldn't your arms heal on backwards in that position?"

"Yes, they couldn't fully heal and I wasn't able to move very much. But it was enough for me to escape. My feet were tied too, you see? I managed to use my hands to break my heels and slip the shackles off my feet. I was then able to get down the hallway and kill one of the guards. I knew that I needed to get the chains off my arms. So, I went into the room where my mother kept some of her things. I used …I…cut off both my arms from just below the elbow." Aliya pointed to a spot on her forearm. "I couldn't apply much pressure with my broken shoulders so had to work slowly. I had to saw through all four bones. And then I had to work backwards because it started to heal before I finished. It made me want to throw up; the blood loss and the pain, not the sight of blood, I was used to that. I sat there until my arms stopped bleeding then I fought my way out. My hands hadn't grown back yet. I would just kick the guard as hard as I could over and over until I didn't hear his heart beat anymore. The rain kept the rest of the guards from being alerted. I climbed into the church from the trapdoor and then broke a window to get outside. After that, I headed in the direction that I could sense the largest number of human souls. It turned out to be London, and you know the rest."

Ciel didn't say anything. Aliya stared listlessly at the wall. "You are right," the boy said after a long pause. "Sebastian wouldn't get it."

"Father and you are the only ones I have in this world, Ciel. Well, I suppose the servants and Soma and Agni in a small way too," Aliya said softly.

"Don't get attached to me. Your father is going to eat my soul the second your mother is dead," he said vehemently.

"Hemph, I know," Aliya muttered. "I cut off my arms and you sold your soul, huh? I don't think your decision was a bad one. I would gladly die to make my mother suffer. That would bring me more peace than being alive would." She gave the young earl a meaningful look.

"I never asked your opinion on the matter," Ciel said defensibly.

"Hug?" Aliya suddenly asked. She sat on the edge of her bed and extended both her arms.

"No. I'll leave you alone now." He turned around and grabbed the handle. He opened the door and took a few steps into the hallway. Before he could go any further Aliya darted past him. She ran from her room and ducked under his arm to get in front of him. Ciel didn't have time to protest before she caught him in a friendly embrace. "Get off," Ciel grumbled and vainly attempted to shove the girl away. Aliya remained completely unfazed by his complaints and kept her arms tightly wrapped around him. Ciel gave up his fruitless attempts to escape. He wasn't a hug kind of person but didn't see a point in trying to convince Aliya to give up this annoying habit. She was just a kid, after all. She would grow out of wanting to hug people eventually. At least that is what Ciel hoped Lizzie would do.

Aliya rested her head against Ciel's shoulder for a full minute then pulled away. She gave him a pleasant smile. Ciel refused to return it but she didn't seem to mind. The boy hoped that was the end of their heart to heart conversation but then her face changed as if she suddenly noticed something.

"Huh…" Aliya muttered as she looked him up and down.

"What?" Ciel asked why she was studying him like that.

In a flash, Aliya repositioned her hands on either side of his torso so that she had a secure hold on his middle, then she picked him up. "What are you doing!" Ciel exclaimed as he suddenly felt his feet loose contact with the floor. Aliya held him quite easily at arms' length. She lifted his body weight and raised him a little higher off the floor. "Put me down," he ordered indignantly while his shoes hung a six inches from the ground.

"Whoa, you weigh nothing," Aliya said with awe. She then lifted the young earl higher to demonstrate this fact. "Do you even have bones?"

"Ah! Stop it!" Ciel had no choice but to grab Aliya's wrists for a bit of support as the girl lifted him up and down like a pet kitten.

"You are a featherweight. Soma is right, you need to eat more," the girl remarked. Aliya tilted her head up and grinned at him. Ciel glared back. This was embarrassing to be held so easily at arms length by a girl younger than himself.

"This isn't funny."

"I think it is," Aliya smiled and lifted her arms over her head.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Ciel objected to being held almost parallel with the floor. It was horribly disorienting to be lifted like this.

"Oh my, this is not what I expected to find." A distinct, smug voice disturbed the children. They both glanced to the side and saw Sebastian standing nearby. He must have come in response to Ciel's shouts. However, he didn't appear at all interested in helping the boy. Sebastian smiled and pressed the knuckle of his index finger to his lips as if holding back laughter. Ciel had never heard the demon laugh but Sebastian appeared to be chuckling silently to himself right now.

"Sebastian, control your child!" Ciel shouted at the demon.

"I can't help but be fascinated by this. You weigh nothing."

"Don't call me small! I am the same size you are."

"But I don't weight this little. You must have no muscle mass at all." Aliya waved him back and forth in the air, not at all perturbed by her father's presence.

"Sebastian!" Ciel called for help. He was starting to feel sick to his stomach from dangling like this.

"Aliya, the Young Master is not a toy," the butler finally intervened. He didn't stop smiling but made the girl put Ciel down. "I see that you are feeling better," he commented to the beaming child.

"Much better," Aliya nodded. She didn't mention that talking with Ciel had brought around the change in her moods, and for that the young earl was thankful.

"You should still rest if you want to help when the guests arrive this evening," Sebastian gave her a small push back towards her bedroom. Aliya gave a final smile to her father and Ciel then closed her door.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," the earl grumbled to his butler. He rubbed his sore side, having his whole body held like that would probably leave a bruise.

"Aliya is correct about her weight. She does weigh considerably more than the Young Master," said Sebastian. Proving that he was unable to resist an opportunity to mock his master.

"I don't care," Ciel snapped. Sebastian still looked close to laughter. Ciel wanted to be angry at Aliya for putting him in an embarrassing situation. However, he really couldn't feel mad at her acting childish now that he knew about the extremely grown-up decisions she had made to escape her mother. Sebastian on the other hand, had no excuse for laughing at him. Ciel gave the demon a glare then turned to leave. "I'm going back to work. Stand there and laugh like an idiot if you want to."


	24. Unexpected Guests

Due to Aliya's panic attack, perorations for the guests were delayed. Sebastian ended up working until the very last minute to finish everything he wanted to get done. Despite the added stress, everything was ready as the first carriage arrived. The first guest was a wealthy merchant and business man by the name of Fisher.

Mr. Fisher was in the process of creating a successful business and quickly ascending the social ladder. Ciel had invited him so that the man would be an associate once he inevitably became a member of the higher rings of society. Also in attendance was Mrs. Fisher. It was unorthodox but Mr. Fisher never did anything without her present. Thus, there were many rumors flying about that the Mrs. was the true business genius of the pair. The guests were shown into the formal sitting room where they could sit and converse until dinner. Ciel spoke with them and quickly determined that it was, in deed, Mrs. Fisher who wore the pants in that relationship.

Shortly after the Fishers, several more guests arrived. They were all either nobility or wealthy business professionals. Ironically, the last to turn up were the men the earl was most interested in. Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tillman were almost late. They looked presentable enough but were the co-owners of the business that Ciel had been monitoring. Once the two men came inside they started up a lively conversation with the other guests. They seemed almost a bit too enthusiastic to be friendly.

Sebastian knew to keep an eye on the men, but right now he had a much more pressing matter to attend to, dinner. He hastily checked that everything in the dinning room was perfect then set about final meal perorations.

"Father," Aliya managed to come up behind him without him noticing. She stood in the hallway between the kitchen and dinning room. She had put on her nice dress and looked up at him expectantly.

"It would be very helpful if you could keep an eye on the servants." Sebastian knew what she was asking before she said anything. "They are determined to be helpful and, as you know, that can be dangerous."

"Damage control, huh? Leave it to me," Aliya said with a smile then disappeared. Sebastian watched her go and shook his head. Hard to believe that that girl was in fits a few hours ago. She was a resilient child to bounce back so quickly. She would probably make a very powerful demon one day, assuming that she remained under his instruction. Sebastain still wished to go back in time and prevent the angel from ever acquiring a sample of his blood. Even a child like Aliya was more troublesome than no child at all. Although, it was sometimes refreshing to have a helper that wasn't completely incompetent.

With Aliya watching the servants, the evening continued smoothly for a while. The first sign of trouble appeared while the dinner was being served. Sebastian glanced out a window and noticed that a group of humans were on the manor grounds. He considered going outside to deal with them but decided against it. He was busy taking care of the guests and it might be more beneficial to see what the gang of trespassers planed to do.

Once the meal was finished, all the guests sat and spoke with the earl about business. There were eight guests in all and Ciel was kept busy by their company. Sebastian meanwhile watched the trespassers from an upstairs window. There were six men that each carried firearms. They spoke surprising little amongst themselves, which hinted that they were well trained or familiar with their plan of attack. Besides that, six men was hardly a threat. Laughable really. Sebastian amused himself by watching the men sneak around on the grounds. Finny alone could dispose of the band. The six men must really have no idea who they were dealing with.

Sebastian split his time between waiting on the guests, studying Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman, watching out for the mansion servants, and keeping an eye on the six men that lurked outside. The guests were all professionals and required minimal attention, Crawford and Tilman were both armed, he noticed, but passive, Aliya kept the servants out of trouble, and the men continued to lie in wait. Sebastian considered taking a minute to dispose of the loiterers or sending Aliya outside so she could get a bit of exercise by breaking a few skulls. However, he became curious what they planned to do and left them be.

Over half way through the evening, Sebastian noticed that Mr. Tilman was watching him carefully. The demon didn't react. Mr. Tilman was obviously planning to use that concealed weapon he was carrying very soon. Undoubtedly, he was waiting for Sebastian to step out of the room. The butler considered for a moment, he weighed the possible threat to his master verses the entertainment of such a situation. He also should consider the fact that Aliya required a steady supply of excitement to keep her out of trouble. The humans too had been a bit more lax recently, a bit of turmoil might make them run a tighter ship. Besides, it would be so much easier to prove that Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman were criminals if they were caught committing armed robbery. Sebastian smiled to himself then stepped out of the room.

As soon as the door swung shut behind him, Sebastian heard Mr. Tilman jump to his feet. The butler stood outside the room for a full twenty seconds then reentered. Mr. Tilman pointed a gun at Ciel's head, typical, while Mr. Crawford pointed his pistol at the other shocked guests. Of course, Ciel didn't appear even slightly alarmed. The boy shot Sebastian an irritated glare and the butler returned it with a small grin.

"Nobody move!" Mr. Crawford ordered. Sebastian glanced to the window, no doubt the six men were attempting to enter the house at this time. Mr. Tilman continued to say threatening things to Ciel about how he would be sorry for slighting him, blah, blah, blah. It was obvious that the earl wasn't paying any attention to the rambling.

Everyone in the room, except for Sebastian, jumped at the sound of gunfire from the lower levels of the house. It was obvious from the sound that a gunfight had broken out between the Phantomhive servants and the intruders. Sebastian was not concerned, he had selected the three humans because of their skill and Tanaka could more than handle himself if required.

"Father," Aliya suddenly burst into the room. She then gave a startled look to see the two gunmen in with the guests. She had been coming to ask her father if she could join the fight or not, but hadn't known about Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman.

"Stay right there," Crawford told the girl. Sebastian immediately walked over to Aliya and stood in front of her like any protective father should. Of course, this action was also to keep Aliya from doing anything stupid.

"What do you want?" Ciel said in a bored tone of voice.

"Money for starters," Crawford demanded rather stupidly.

"Give us all the insider information that you were just bragging about having and we will ransom you off with the others instead of just killing you," Tilman elaborated. He was obviously the brighter of the two.

"Ransom? Is that your master plan?" it was actually Mrs. Fisher to speak up to the criminals. The woman appeared shaken but not intimidated by the men.

"Would you rather have us kill you right now?" Mr. Crawford demanded. Mr. Fisher made a motion as if to hush his wife but she continued to taunt them.

"There are many high ranking individuals in this room. Your trip here was well documented. Ransom you might be able to get away with, but you could never escape the murder of an earl," she said defiantly.

"Well…" Mr. Crawford fumbled. He hadn't expected anyone to challenge the men with guns.

"How about this then?" Mr. Tilman made up for his colleague's idiocy. He gave Mrs. Fisher a smile and pointed his gun at Sebastian instead. "If any of you spoiled fat cats make a move then that little girl becomes an orphan." This threat made Mrs. Fisher close her mouth.

"You are willing to shoot me in front of my young daughter? That seems rather unnecessary," Sebastian found this conversation extremely amusing. Aliya was giving a half-hearted attempt at acting afraid. She hid partially behind her father but her face remained interested instead of fearful.

"I've done it before," Tilman grinned, not intimidated by the extremely calm butler.

"If you want me to tell the secrets of my company," Ciel reminded the men why they had pulled guns in the first place. "You will have to move the other guests to an adjacent room before I will talk. If you are eventually going to release us, I can't let them here this," he said with a small smile. Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman appeared to consider this for a moment then agreed. Mr. Crawford then led the other guests to a different room and locked them inside while Mr. Tilman stayed.

"Now…" the gunman started to say. However, he was interrupted by the sound of a small explosion from the lower levels of the house.

"The six men I saw outside must have military training to be putting up this much of a fight," Sebastian said absentmindedly. Mr. Tilman didn't say anything. He looked very concerned by the fact that his men had yet to defeat the servants.

"Can I kill him now?" Aliya asked in a cheerful tone of voice. Mr. Tilman stared at her. It was creepy to hear a child say something like that in such a happy way. And what did she mean by kill him?

"I require that you do not get in my way. Considering, that you are much to slow to catch bullets yet," Sebastian answered in an equally cheerful tone. Now, Tilman looked really confused.

"I assume that you and Mr. Crawford are working independently?" Ciel glanced at the gunman.

"Well, uh, shut up!" Tilman stumbled over his words.

Mr. Crawford reentered the room but froze in place when he saw the frightening yet smiling faces of Sebastian and the little girl that mimicked his expression.

"Do you have an order for me, Young Master?"

"Kill them both but do so quietly, I don't need them screaming things about demons while my guests are in the other room."

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian bowed.

"I'll do as you say," Aliya recited her own phrase. The girl interlocked her fingers and stretched them backwards. She was reveling in the fact that she got to help her father kill two criminals on Ciel's order. Her only concern was that Sebastian wouldn't save her any action.

"What do you think you are doing?" Mr. Crawford managed to stutter despite his fear. Even a man with limited intelligence like him could tell something was very wrong with Sebastian and his daughter.

"I'll take the stupid one," Aliya decided.

"Are you both insane?" Mr. Crawford demanded.

"That is not a very kind thing to say to a child," Sebastian started to walk towards the two men.

"Stay back," Mr. Tilman tried to sound threatening and pointed his gun at the butler. However, the butler wasn't there anymore.

"Give a pathetic human a firearm and he thinks he is immortal." Sebastian was suddenly standing beside the man. Mr. Tilman jerked around to try and face him. "But take his toy away, and he will revert to his pathetic nature," the demon continued to talk in a disturbingly calm voice. Mr. Tilman then noticed that his right elbow was twisted backwards. He couldn't move his fingers let alone pull the trigger of his gun. The man stared at his broken bones with confusion for a second before the pain registered. He hadn't seen the butler touch him. "Remember this, Aliya," Sebastian lectured, "if you want to play with your adversary, than allow them to keep hold of their weapon and they will most often continue to fight until you take it from them."

"Don't come near me," Mr. Crawford backed away from the girl that walked towards him. She smiled but her grin was frightening. She took joy in freaking him out and made him walk backwards across the room.

"Aliya, stop playing with your food. I wanted this done quickly," Ciel told the girl nonchalantly from his sitting position.

"Is there anyone else you work with? I wouldn't want to leave any of your friends alive," Sebastian asked Mr. Tilman in a polite voice.

"I…" Mr. Tilman stammered.

"I mean it, get away!" Mr. Crawford shouted.

"Don't shout. Ciel's annoyed enough already," Aliya said indignantly. The girl then lashed out with a nasty kick aimed at Mr. Crawford's knee. But before she hit him, the scared man pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered onto the floor and the shot resonated around the room. Aliya's body shook as the bullet passed straight through her skull. She stood upright for a moment then slumped like a rag doll to the floor. Mr. Tillman looked shocked, Sebastian didn't blink, and Ciel gave the girl's still body a mildly concerned look. Mr. Crawford panted then smiled with victory.

"That…" the girl's voice said. Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman blanched and stared with horror as Aliya twitched. "That," she said again. She pushed against the floor and got to a sitting position. "Didn't hurt as much as a thought it would," she finished. The girl looked up at Mr. Crawford with slightly unfocused eyes.

"Ahh!" Mr. Crawford shrieked and shot her in the forehead. The front part of Aliya's skull exploded in a shower of blood and she fell back again.

"So much for silence," Ciel sighed.

"Huh, that feels weird. It is like I hear the gun shot after my head is damaged. But I don't feel pain," Aliya mused. The girl easily sat up again.

"Yes, the pain receptors in our brain heal last when we suffer a head injury," Sebastian explained.

Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman shook with terror as Aliya shakily got to her feet. "What the hell are you?" Mr. Tilman asked the butler.

"Give me the names of all your business partners or you will find out," Sebastian leaned closer to the man and allowed him to see his red demonic eyes.

"There is no one! We work alone," Mr. Tilman frantically said.

"I suspected as much." Sebastian reached forward to snap the man's neck but was distracted by Mr. Crawford's shout of, "Die!" Another bullet from Mr. Crawford's gun hit Aliya. The girl rocked back slightly as the projectile passed through her brain. She kept upright on her feet, however, and blinked only twice before her eyes refocused.

"How?" Mr. Crawford looked defeated and frightened beyond logical thought at this point.

"Once again, I'm impressed by your ability to heal, child," Sebastian complemented her then broke Mr. Tilman's neck.

"Yes, very impressive. Now for the love of the Queen, just kill him," Ciel said irritably.

"My apologies, Young Master." Aliya took too long so Sebastian pulled a knife from his pocket and threw it across the room. Mr. Crawford fell over dead with a knife stuck in his forehead.

"Next time warn me before you let anyone pull a gun in my house," Ciel indigently told his demon.

"No harm was done, I'll explain the situation to the guests," Sebastian said cheerfully. Ciel still looked irritated. Then both the young earl and the demon butler jumped at the sound of a gun firing. They glanced over to Mr. Crawford's corpse. Aliya had taken the pistol form his limp fingers and used it to shoot herself in the temple.

"Uh…Aliya?" Ciel asked at the same time that Sebastian said, "Put that down," in an annoyed voice.

"This feels so weird. I black out for a second but I can still hear." Aliya didn't look at either of them and repositioned the barrel of the gun under her chin.

"Don't…" Sebastian started to say but Aliya fired anyway. Aliya's body went completely slack for half a second then she regained control of her muscles and caught herself from falling. The girl gave a small giggle as if shooting herself in the head tickled. Sebastian sighed and Ciel wore a confused expression, as if he wasn't sure to laugh or feel disturbed. "Child, give me that," Sebastian sounded exasperated as he stepped forward to take the gun from her.

"Why can't I have any fun?" Aliya whined. She held onto the pistol as her father tried to wrestle it out of her grip.

"I know that dignity is a new concept to you, Aliya. But even you must realize this is horribly demeaning," Sebastian answered as he yanked the gun away from her.

"But it doesn't hurt. Now I know why Mother used knives on me instead of guns." Aliya considered trying to grab the new toy back, but Sebastian's glare made her decide against it.

"Young Master!" three voices called in unison. The door to the bloody room burst open to reveal the three servants. Their clothes were slightly singed and their hair ruffled but they were just fine.

"The mansion was attacked!" Bard said but then noticed the two bodies on the floor.

"I assume you dealt with the six other guests?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, we got them," Finny nodded.

"Sorry it took so long. They didn't go down easily," Maylene's glasses were missing and she held a gun in each hand. "They had military training, maybe more."

"The kitchen is going to have to be repaired," Bard said apologetically.

"Someone call Scotland Yard and let my guests out," Ciel instantly took command of the situation. The earl hadn't bothered to rise from his comfortable seat during the entire incident.

"Of course, Young Master. Bard, you go to the phone don't tell them any details. Finny, Maylene, find Tanaka and collect what is left of the intruders' from downstairs. Aliya, change clothes immediately, blood splatter is unseemly."

"Really?" The girl studied her black and gray dress that was speckled with her blood. She felt a slight panic start to rise in the back of her mind at seeing her own blood but she pushed it back down. "What if it is your opponent's blood? I bet that would be pretty."

"Go change clothes."


	25. Social Gathering

It took Sebastian a little while to repair the damage done to the mansion after the attack by Mr. Tilman and Mr. Crawford. One of the walls had been damaged by Bard's dynamite and there were a few blood stains that took a great deal of scrubbing to remove. Aliya had managed to put a bullet hole in the ceiling when she shot herself in the head. Sebastian made the girl fix that damage as punishment. There were no complications with Scotland Yard, fortunately. The guests were grateful at being alive, which would probably be good for business in the future. Everything had ended very well. The only lingering problem proved to be that Aliya had discovered how fun it was to injure herself. She got into the habit of occasionally stealing a weapon from one of the servants or Ciel and shooting herself in the head with it. She was smart enough to do this outside but still got caught and subsequently punished by her father.

On a morning not long after the affair with Mr. Crawford and Mr. Tilman, Ciel examined a few letters while sitting in the parlor. Aliya sprawled on the carpeted floor near Ciel's feet with several pieces of paper and books scattered around her.

"Sebastian," Ciel called.

"Yes?" the demon appeared supernaturally fast.

"Excuse me. Can I ask a quick question about these notes?" Aliya interjected.

"Go ahead," Ciel said casually.

"What appears to be the problem?" the butler leaned closer to her.

"You copied these notes out of one of the demon books, right? So who is this?" Aliya passed him a hand written paper and pointed to a line.

"He's the angel slayer you read about yesterday," said Sebastian.

"Huh? But he has a different name!" the girl objected.

"Yes, demons change names regularly. After all, I was not Sebastian until recently," he explained.

"How am I supposed to know all this?" Aliya complained.

"You just have to memorize it." Sebastian handed her the paper then turned to Ciel. "What is it you required, Young Master?"

"The Phantomhive house has been invited to attend a party this weekend. The host owns some property I've been interested in so I intend on going," Ciel explained.

"Yes, social gatherings are of extreme importance to the English high class, I'm glad that your age allows you to take part in them," said Sebastian. Ciel glared at him for mentioning age.

"You don't have time to mock me, Sebastian. I need a new outfit and information on all the excepted guests and host," the boy instructed.

"Is that all?" the demon asked smugly.

"One more thing," Ciel smirked, "you will be attending this party but not as my butler. One of the other servants will perform your duties."

"What?" Sebastian was quite shocked by that statement.

"This invitation states my friends are also welcome. So you will take Aliya." Ciel held up the note between his fingers.

"Huh?" the girl looked up from her spot on the floor.

"I'm officially giving you time off from work, Sebastian," Ciel smiled.

"Time off?" Sebastian repeated as if he had never heard of the concept before.

"Yes, a vacation. I'm telling you to attend this party on your own. You won't be on duty as my butler and you will take Aliya," the boy said casually.

"You realize the contract is always in effect," Sebastian pointed out.

"Of course, but that's not the point. I want to see how you act when you aren't my butler. Take Aliya to the party and have some fun," said Ciel.

"I suppose an English ball would be a good learning experience," Sebastian considered.

"Do I have to order you to do everything?" Ciel groaned, "Make her a new dress, get yourself some different clothes, or wear that tutor outfit you seem so fond of. Have a father, daughter outing," he continued irritably.

"You sure?" Aliya asked.

"Positive, I can survive with a different butler for one evening. And if I get into danger, Sebastian will still be there," Ciel stated in his no argument tone.

"Is there an order in there somewhere?" Sebastian wondered.

"There will be," Ciel threatened.

"Ciel, you're going to this party?" Aliya piped up.

"I already said that. What?" the boy asked as Aliya's face started to contort with mirth. She clasped her hands over her mouth but couldn't stop smiling.

"Sorry, I shouldn't think this is funny," she managed to say. No sound came out of her mouth but her whole body shook as if from laughter.

"What?" Ciel demanded.

"I believe she finds it amusing how you attended your last party as a girl," Sebastian explained.

"You told her about that!" the boy shouted with disbelief and embarrassment.

"Showed me the pink dress too," Aliya added.

"You kept that thing?" Ciel gaped at the butler.

"It seemed like a waste to throw it out," Sebastian said with great satisfaction in his voice.

"Burn it!" Ciel snapped. Then something suddenly occurred to him. "Wait, you didn't tell her about Grell but you told her about me wearing the dress?" he growled.

"But, Young Master, your undercover work was of great importance to discovering Jack the Ripper," Sebastian insisted innocently.

"I'm sure you consider it to be so," the boy grumbled.

"I've cross-dressed before but not to that extent. When dressed as a boy I never flirted with a girl or agreed to go to bed with…" Aliya started to say.

"What did you tell her?" Ciel shouted, much to Sebastian's amusement.

Sebastian didn't argue any further. He agreed to attend the party as Sebastian Michaelis instead of the Phantomhive butler. There wasn't much time to prepare for the event so he began work immediately. Sebastian understood Ciel's determination to do something independently and prove he could work without help. It also made sense that the boy felt sympathy towards Aliya. Still, Ciel's constant attempts to improve his parenting were annoying.

The demon butler could easily juggle the extra workload involved with getting ready now that Aliya was well behaved. But at one point he had to make a trip to town and pick up supplies. When he was gone the servants were busy with their chores and Tanaka was in mini form, this left Aliya in charge of her father's duties. One of which was answering the front door. Consequently, while Sebastian was away Aliya came to speak with Ciel.

"Ciel," Aliya opened the door to the library.

"Knock," the boy corrected her. She sighed but obediently rapped her knuckles on the door frame. "Yes?" Ciel acknowledged her.

"There is a strange Chinese man and a random prostitute at the front door," Aliya said and pointed over her shoulder.

"What?" Ciel asked as he tried to register what she had said.

"A weird Chinese man and a prostitute, they said they knew you. I told them to go away," she repeated.

"That must be Lau," said the earl, "wait, you told him to go away?"

"Of course, he smelled like opium. I shut the door in his face but he wouldn't leave, so I came to get you," the girl explained.

"He's a business connection, let him in," Ciel instructed. He couldn't really blame Aliya for not trusting the drug dealer.

"I'll do as you say," Aliya said and turned to leave.

"Hold it," Ciel stopped her, "you don't who Lau is but you know about me wearing the dress?"

"Uh… I'll go open the door now," Aliya said with embarrassment and quickly walked away. Ciel took down a mental note to make Sebastian pay.

"Ha, ha I was about ready to give up," Lau laughed once he was finally allowed to meet with the earl. "I don't recognize you, little-girl-who-wouldn't-let-us-in, but your resemblance to Mr. Butler is uncanny," the man addressed Aliya.

"I know," she said back blandly. Since Sebastian wasn't around Aliya used her sixth sense to read Lau and Ran-Mau's souls. She did not particularly like what she saw. They reminded her of the scum that hung about her mother's church.

"Let me guess. Little sister? No, daughter," Lau continued to talk. He tried to pat the girl's head but she twisted away from him.

"Aliya, you don't officially work here, so go tell Tanaka that we need tea," Ciel instructed the girl. She nodded and left while keeping a weary eye on the visitors. "If you let me know you were coming by mail then this wouldn't be a problem," Ciel pointed out.

"It wouldn't be a problem if someone else answered the door," Lau said cheerfully.

"What are you here for?" the earl asked.

"Business, regrettably," Lau stated. Ciel nodded then he and Lau spoke privately over tea.

"Who's here?" Sebastian asked when he returned home. Lau was still visiting and Aliya was talking with her father.

"The strange Chinese guy who reeks of opium and his statue-like escort," Aliya explained.

"She wouldn't let them in at first," Bard chuckled.

"Yes, perhaps I should have warned you about Lau's visits," Sebastian said then turned to the servants. "If you have nothing to do, take all these packages inside." The butler handed them a stack of parcels. Finny didn't notice, but the others were startled by their weight.

"Why do they stink of opium?" Aliya continued with her discussion.

"How do you know what opium smells like?" Sebastian asked suspiciously. He went to take care of the carriage and horses.

"I lived on the London streets for a month. Plus, mother drugged me a few times. She wanted to check my immunity to toxins," Aliya answered then returned to her question, "Are they users or dealers?" Aliya followed him as he unhitched the animals.

"Dealers mainly, Lau is a powerful drug trafficker," Sebastian explained.

"Oh, so that's why he has business with the earl," Aliya finally understood.

"We don't talk about that," her father said.

"Is she a really a prostitute?" Aliya changed the topic.

"Ran-Mau? I do not know nor care," the butler answered.

"She has to be, why else would she dress like that?"

"This is not a subject for young ladies," Sebastian lectured her.

"How am I supposed to learn these things unless my father tells me about them? After all, I don't have a mother to talk with," Aliya pointed out.

"You are too young to be discussing people like Ran-Mau," Sebastian answered with a fatherly authority. Aliya had no argument for that so said nothing else.

Aliya returned to the house as Sebastian finished securing the horses. Once done with his task, the demon started towards the manor but noticed something. A lean black cat was sunning itself on the front steps of the house. Sebastian smiled when he saw the animal. He forgot what he was doing and knelt down to pet the cat. "Cats are such regal creatures," he mused as he stroked its belly. The demon sat down on the front stoop as he held the kitten. He lost track of time as he relaxed there.

"Father," Aliya appeared, "you've been gone for over ten minutes. Have you been here the whole time?" she asked. Sebastian looked up at her, had he really gotten that distracted?

"I'll go about my tasks in a moment," he answered as he played with the cat's paw.

"Huh? A cat? Where did it come from?" Aliya knelt next to him. She was suddenly fascinated.

"She was on the grounds."

"What a beautiful animal. It's an all black one too," the girl said dreamily and reached over and scratched the cat's ear.

"Want to hold her?" her father offered.

"Yes please." Aliya held out her hands and took the animal. "Stray cats used to keep me company when I lived on the streets. Their reflexes are amazing, so much better than humans. And their eyes are gorgeous," she said happily. The feline seemed to like her attention and continued to purr. Aliya cradled the small animal in her arms as she petted her head.

"Those split pupils often make humans think they are demonic creatures," Sebastian mentioned.

"My mother hates cats. Are they demonic?" Aliya wondered.

"Only slightly," the demon answered.

"Can we keep her?" the girl asked a typical childish question.

"The Young Master won't allow it. Besides, a young demon such as yourself shouldn't be distracted by something like a pet," he answered.

"Oh well, a stray like her wouldn't like it in the house anyway." The cat sat in Aliya's lap and the girl leaned against her father.

"When you're older I can teach you to take the form of this handsome creature." Sebastian smiled at his daughter.

"I could be cat?" Aliya asked with excitement.

"Yes, you should have inherited that ability." Sebastian reached over to stroke the cat's head as he talked.

"Can you show me?" she looked up at him.

"No, not now," the demon answered dismissively.

"Please show me soon, I want to learn everything," Aliya spoke with a smile. She affectionately snuggled against Sebastian. He let her sit there only a moment before moving away.

"You will eventually hear all I have to teach, child. But right now, we have wasted enough time," he told her. Aliya reluctantly stood up and released the cat. Father and daughter returned to the mansion.

Whatever Ciel and Lau discussed didn't end well. Lau kept his face even but left the house with obvious annoyance. Ciel didn't explain what happened and nobody asked. Sebastian wanted the Young Master's business agreements to go well but was still pleased to have Lau gone. The butler had noticed Aliya's glares at Lau and he didn't have time to worry about his daughter if he wanted to get all of his work done before the weekend. Sebastian provided Ciel with information on the host of the party and everyone on the guest list. Once that was done he turned his attention to Aliya. He was finding it quite difficult to tailor a fashionable dress for her without using any white or un-demon-like colors. But a completely black dress would look like she was in morning. Sebastian found the challenge enjoyable.

By the weekend everything was ready. On the day of the dance Sebastian helped Ciel dress in blue formal attire. Lady Elizabeth would have been pleased with the boy's appearance.

"You are now officially off duty," Ciel said to the demon, "go to the party whenever Aliya is ready." The boy left Sebastian behind and rode away with Tanaka acting as his butler for the night. Tanaka insisted that he would be able to stay in his normal form long enough to perform all his duties.

"Whoa, the Young Master is going without Sebastian," Finny marveled.

"It's nice for Tanaka to get out of the house. But I always thought you would keel over and die if not acting as a butler," Bard said jokingly to Sebastian.

"So, what are you going to do?" Maylene asked hopefully.

"I'm going to check on Aliya. Her dress has a lot of ribbons and she has probably made a mess of it. As for the rest of you, the Young Master gave you the night off too," Sebastian reminded the humans as he walked away.

"What would I do if I'm not working here?" Finny wondered.

"Hmm, maybe I'll go into town." Bard considered. Maylene didn't say anything; she was disappointed Sebastian hadn't asked her out somewhere.

"Aliya?" Sebastian knocked on her door.

"Come in, I need help with this." The girl's annoyed voice came though the wood. Aliya was wearing her new dress but the decorations were askew. She had become very frustrated by the complex finery.

"I assumed you would. You're still not used to high society clothing." Sebastian helped her tie the dress properly.

"I still think this is all a little silly. Why would anyone wear these things? It's completely impractical." Aliya opened and closed her hand awkwardly in the extremely tight glove she was wearing.

"Be thankful, child, I could have made you wear a corset," her father warned.

"Yes, thank you," Aliya quickly said.

"It is a slight breach of style but you are thin enough without one," Sebastian nodded approvingly as he examined her appearance. "I believe we are ready to depart."

**Seasnake: Thank you for reading my fanfic all the way to chapter 25. I really appreciate it. Hopefully, I can continue to write a story you will enjoy when I introduce my new OC, Aliya's mother, in the next chapter. ;)**


	26. Father, Daughter, and Mother

Sebastian and his daughter arrived at the high society gathering roughly half an hour behind Ciel. As he had been ordered to, Sebastian was attending separately from his master. The demon was going to spend time acting as Aliya's father and not distracted by his duties as a butler. Aliya looked stunning; Sebastian had truly outdone himself with her attire. The girl couldn't wear white without having a panic attack so her dress was fashioned out of light gray, silver, and shades of purple with accents of black. Her outfit was stylish without being overly girly. After much persuasion, Aliya agreed to wear a few ribbons in her hair. The silver and purple cloth tied back her bangs and gave her short black hair the appearance of being longer than it was. Sebastian stood beside her in a new set of clothes. He wasn't acting as the Phantomhive butler or a tutor so he wore something new. However, he kept black mostly out of his clothes and styled it so the tailoring matched Aliya's outfit but not tackily so. Sebastian didn't wear his hair differently or the pair of glasses he put on sometimes.

Sebastian had instructed Aliya as to the proper behavior for this event but she was still nervous that she would mess up. The girl wanted nothing more then to spend time with her father and was scared to spoil it. Sebastian led her inside the expansive house. The social gathering was not of the most formal nature and several well-to-do families with children were in attendance.

"You look terrified," Sebastian informed her.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked timidly.

"Don't be so nervous. If you do something utterly embarrassing, everyone will just laugh and call you an amusing child," Sebastian said reassuringly. He left out the part where everyone would look at him disapprovingly for poor parenting.

"I suppose," Aliya muttered. Sebastian smiled and escorted her into the main ball room.

Aliya took a few moments to just marvel at her surroundings. Everything was so exquisite. Sebastian pointed around the room and explained the areas for dancing, where the refreshments were, and where social groups had formed to talk.

"How do you know all this?" Aliya asked with wonder.

"I was not always a butler, Aliya. I have watched human society for hundreds of years," he reminded her.

"There's Ciel, I mean, Earl Phantomhive," Aliya indicated one side of the room. Ciel stood talking with several men.

"Yes, he seems to be doing well. Look, a new song is starting." Sebastian turned his attention away from the boy. "May I have the honor of dancing with my beautiful daughter?" he bowed to Aliya.

"The honor is mine, Father," the girl curtsied. Sebastian offered her his hand and led her onto the dance floor. The orchestra played a slow tune as couples waltzed around the hall. Sebastian gave a distasteful glance to the violin player; he could do much better then that. Aliya just concentrated on remembering her steps.

They were not the only parent and child couple on the floor but they received a lot of attention. Guests at the party smiled at the demons. They whispered how much the girl resembled him. And wasn't it nice how fathers spent time with their children these days. Even with Aliya by his side Sebastian received admiring looks from single ladies. By the end of the first dance Aliya was starting to calm her nerves and smile. Sebastian complemented her on how quickly she had learned to dance. When a new song began the two stayed on the floor. But this song was faster and Aliya was having trouble keeping up. "Do you need to rest?" Sebastian asked when she stumbled.

"No," Aliya suddenly stepped onto his shoes. She placed one of her feet on top of each of his and balanced there.

"Don't be lazy," Sebastian remarked as he continued to dance with Aliya on his feet.

"Heh, this is fun," Aliya smiled as he carried her through the steps. The girl's childish and undeniably cute behavior caused even more people to glance their way.

At the end of the dance Sebastian lifted her off his shoes and placed her on the floor.

"Enough of that," he spoke without much harshness in his voice. Aliya smiled at him.

"Aww that was cute!" Lizzie ran towards the two of them, "Ciel said you would be here."

"Did he?" Sebastian guessed that Ciel had sent Lizzie after them to distract her from pestering him.

"I love your dress! And your outfits match, it's so perfect," Elizabeth complemented them.

"Thank you. You look very nice too," Aliya said with a smile, even though Lizzie's demanding personality still frightened her.

"Did you ever find my doll?" asked Lizzie. Aliya's back stiffened at the mention of it.

"Why don't you introduce Aliya to your friends?" Sebastian quickly changed the topic.

"That's a great idea. We're playing games in the back. You can join us," Lizzie offered.

"Should I?" Aliya asked.

"Word and puzzle games are very popular. I think you will find them fun," Sebastian nodded, "I'll join you shortly."

"Yay," Lizzie took a hold of Aliya's hand and dragged her off. Once they darted out of sight Sebastian returned to the dance floor. He would leave Aliya in the company of Lady Elizabeth for a little bit.

A gorgeous woman stood by the wall of the dance hall. She was acting as a beautiful wall flower and simply watching other guests. The pale skinned woman was quite tall and stood not much shorter than Sebastian. She had long blond hair that was styled in a complex system of twists. The yellow locks were wrapped around a comb in the back then trailed out in three elegant braids down her back. It was an exotic look, especially when combined with her long and lacy white dress. Her outfit was ostentatious with a scoop neck and many white and pink flowers, silver ribbons, and folds of lace. She held a pearl colored fan made of lace and metal in one delicate hand that was covered with a white, elbow-length silk glove. She didn't look to be over thirty years old and her creamy skin was neither blemished or sun burned. The woman was thin but her waist was thicker around from sheer muscle mass than most ladies would have liked. Despite the fact that she was slightly overweight, men, even married ones, stole glances towards this vision in white from across the room and wondered what lucky man held her hand in marriage. She had to be married; no woman that beautiful could remain single for long.

Sebastian approached this woman whom he had noticed while dancing with Aliya. "May I have your hand for this dance?" Sebastian addressed her politely.

"I am busy at the moment," the woman shrugged him off.

"Nonsense, you have been standing here all night. Come dance with me." Sebastian forcibly took her wrist and pulled her to the dance floor. The woman started to protest and attract attention. Sebastian quickly drew her into a dance hold. The woman stopped complaining but still looked at him sourly.

Sebastian and the woman were silent for a moment. The blond haired woman seemed immune to all his charm and continued to wear a bitter face. Sebastian waited until all the other couples were either out of hearing range or obviously not listening before speaking. "What are you doing here?" he asked icily.

"I am afraid that you are quite insane. I don't know you." The woman turned her face away.

"Tell me the truth, angel," Sebastian glared at the woman with his red eyes glowing.

"Oh?" the beautiful woman smiled thinly and allowed a supernatural glow to come to her blue eyes. "How ever did you guess? I'm sure that I have never shown you my face before."

"You were watching Aliya. And once I recognized the features you share with her, it became obvious," he explained. "Ariel, if I heard Drocell correctly."

"Yes, my name is fitting of a holy being. I gave Aliya a proper name. But she still turned into a rotten child," the angel scoffed. "Did you actually manage to see similar features between us? That is a surprise. The girl really looks nothing like me."

"That's your own fault," Sebastian pointed out.

"The summoning made her appearance random. I didn't make her look like a filthy demon on purpose. Then again, it might have been harder to ignore her pleas for mercy if she looked like me. So, I suppose everything turned out for the best," the woman considered. Sebastian's eyes narrowed menacingly.

"I repeat, what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"What do you think, hideous creature?" Ariel said rudely, "I came to see my little monster."

"Don't go near her. Aliya is having fun I will not allow you to take that away from her," Sebastian growled. The girl in question was still blissfully unaware of her mother's presence. She stood exchanging riddles with Elizabeth and her friends.

"You don't scare me. I made that child, she belongs to me," the angel said with cool confidence.

"Your mistake was using my blood to create her. Aliya is my daughter."

"It doesn't matter that Aliya was created with your blood. Flesh from any other powerful demon, even a female, would have worked," the angel said smugly.

"It matters to me," Sebastian answered simply. Ariel eyed him reproachfully.

"You have feelings for the little monster? The gray winged creature is my tool created for my purpose. Don't get attached or I'll be stealing another one of your limbs." Ariel smirked maliciously. In response to the angel's threat, Sebastian tightened his hold on her hand. He clenched his fist until all the bones in her fingers broke with a satisfying snap. Ariel flinched from pain but the injury would heal in a few minutes.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" the angel asked. "I already know you are a very powerful demon. That is why I tricked you into coming to Earth."

"What did you say?" Sebastian demanded. She had tricked him? How? Ariel smirked at him and refused to say anymore. She jerked her hand out of his hold and stepped away from him.

"I am bored with talking to you, filthy creature. I came here to remind that foolish child that she belongs to me. I don't want her getting rebellious ideas in her head before I collect her," she said with a malicious grin in Aliya's direction.

"I won't let you near her," Sebastian said evenly.

"You wouldn't cause a scene here, Sebastian Michaelis. That would shame the Phantomhive house, not to mention look bad to Bardroy, Tanaka, Maylene, and Finnian," she sneered. Sebastian's face showed his surprise. "Foolish demon. I know all about you and your little master. I have been keeping an eye on you ever since you accepted a contract with that pathetic human three years ago." She glanced across the room to Ciel. Ariel watched Sebastian's expression for a moment then spoke again. "I'm going to speak with my child now. If you want stop me, do so. But don't try it. I'm not above screaming rape and having you thrown out." She turned away from him and headed towards Aliya.

Sebastian glanced around the room, trying to figure his options. There were far too many humans around for him to start a fist fight with Ariel. Someone would see their supernatural fight. He was under orders to act human and the angel knew it. There was no way he could make her leave discreetly. If a pretty woman started screaming he would probably be arrested. He couldn't fight Ariel here but he couldn't let her get near Aliya either. So, Sebastian darted through the crowd of people. He reached the other side of the ball room before Ariel did. Aliya was standing near Lady Elizabeth and her friends and watching people dance. "Father?" she asked when she noticed his approach. Sebastian didn't hesitate to walk up to her and pull her into a protective embrace. "What is it?" Aliya stammered with bewilderment. Then she sensed her mother's presence. Instantly, the girl's body stiffened and her muscles trembled.

Ariel appeared from the throng of people and gave the little girl a cruel smile. Aliya huddled against Sebastian but couldn't stop herself from meeting her mother's stare. She shuddered with fear under the angel's gaze.

"Be brave, she can't hurt you here," Sebastian whispered to Aliya. Ariel took a few steps closer to them. The demon glared at her threateningly but she paid Sebastian no mind and just continued to grin sadistically at Aliya.

"It hurts," Aliya whimpered. She clung to the fabric of her father's suit for dear life as painful memories engulfed her.

Ariel reached out a hand as if to touch Aliya's face in a motherly gesture. However, Sebastian took a step backwards and wouldn't allow her to get any closer to the girl. The angel raised an eyebrow at the demon in amusement. She then abruptly turned around and walked away from the father and daughter. Sebastian wondered if she was going to leave then noticed that she was heading towards Ciel. "Damn." Sebastian quickly lifted Aliya into his arms and hurried to reach the earl. Inconveniently, there was a crowd between Sebastian and Ciel that slowed the demon down. Ariel easily walked towards the boy without concern. At some point Ciel had become aware of Ariel's presence. The boy watched Ariel walk towards him. He shot her a glare of pure hatred but didn't run away.

"Something wrong, earl?" a businessman that had been talking to Ciel, asked.

"Nothing of importance," Ciel responded. He was about to continue his conversation with the man but Ariel intervened.

"Aren't you just the most adorable little boy?" the angel patted him on the head. Ciel jerked away from her touch with surprise, he hadn't seen her sneak up behind him. The men nearby were shocked to see a woman address the Earl Phantomhive in such a way. "Where are you parents, boy? Do you think they would be proud of you? Would they approve how you have chosen to throw away the life they gave you?" Ariel said with fake kindness. Those words stabbed Ciel in the gut like a knife.

"Don't talk about my parents!" he ordered. Ariel just gave the boy a grin that made him shudder involuntarily. Some old memory came to life from the recesses of his mind. He suddenly remembered that cruel smile. Ariel had been one of the cultists who killed him. Ciel distinctly remembered the person who had branded him before his sacrificial death. He remembered because this person had given him a smile right before pressing the hot metal to his flesh. "Y…you…" he stared at the angel.

"Have you gotten over those night terrors, yet?" She reveled in the fear she made him feel.

"Madam, I suggest you leave," Sebastian finally stepped between Ciel and the angel.

"Leave? I haven't done anything wrong." she said with mock surprise. The earl stood behind Sebastian, having the demon nearby restored his confidence so he glared at the angel.

"You are disrupting my master," Sebastian said icily. He didn't mention the girl who still held the front of his jacket in a death grip.

"Yes, I suppose that I should leave. Your filthy boy isn't worth my time," Ariel nodded. Ciel gritted his teeth in furry. Ariel turned towards the door but still watched Aliya over her shoulder, "Mother will take you home soon, Aliya." The angel blew a kiss in the girl's direction. Aliya shivered. As Ariel walked to the door, Ciel took a step closer to Sebastian.

"What are you waiting for? Go after her!" he hissed at the demon.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian set Aliya on the floor and pried her fingers off of his jacket.

"Father," Aliya whimpered. She latched onto his arm and refused to let go.

"Aliya, stay here," he tried to tell her but she didn't respond.

"Listen, you will be safer here," Ciel gently tugged on Aliya's sleeve to get her attention. The girl eventually obeyed and released her death grip on Sebastian. Ciel allowed her to burry her face in his shoulder while Sebastian made his way to the exit.


	27. Evil Angel

**Seasnake: I decided to bite the bullet in regards to the plot. I wanted to do something drastic and make this angel OC as evil as I possibly could. So, I chose to come up with a whole evil plot for the angel and explain why she killed Ciel in the first place. **

**Also note: I am going to take this fanfic to the end of the story and probably have a climax that at least slightly resembles the anime one. ****(I am also not saying that my story will or will not end the same way as the anime)****There will be no anime season 2 content in my fanfic. I am doing this for convenience and because I want people who haven't seen the anime to be able to read my story, not because I like or dislike the second season. I also chose to make this chapter and the next one a each little bit shorter instead of it being one large chapter.  
**

The demon didn't give the children a second thought as he reached the door. He stepped outside and glanced around. He could sense that the angel was nearby. But there were still several humans around so he would have to be careful. Carriage drivers stood near the horses and waited for people to finish at the party. A few guests chatted in the gardens to enjoy the cool night. The demon looked up and saw Ariel standing on the roof waiting for him. She stood silhouetted against the half-moon with her white dress almost blending into the silver light. She absentmindedly fanned herself and watched him make the inhuman leap to the second story roof.

"How is my baby doing?" the angel started up a conversation once he joined her on the roof.

"She is an intelligent girl, although surprisingly disrespectful to her elders. I assume that trait is from your side of the family," Sebastian continued the conversation with fake indifference.

"I'm afraid so, I come from a long line of trouble makers," the angel sighed, "Still, I'm not to blame for her quick temper. My realities have always been level headed."

"I accept guilt for that trait. But where did her incredible stubbornness come from?"

"I assumed that was your fault," the angel laughed. "Goodness knows I tried to beat the thick headedness out of her."

"I'm still working to repair the damage you caused that girl." Sebastian dropped the game of two normal parents talking.

"Damage?" she asked.

"You were a very poor parent. You failed even to keep track of her. She escaped you after only three years of confinement," he took the opportunity to ridicule her.

"The subordinates who let her escape have already been punished. I'll admit my plan never accounted for Aliya's escape but adjustments are underway," the angel shrugged. "It is far beyond your power to defeat me so I'm not concerned."

Sebastian took the opportunity to pull a handful of knifes from his pocket and hurl them at the angel. Ariel didn't even blink. She snapped her fan closed and used it to swat away the projectiles without moving the rest of her body an inch.

"You came to a party armed?" She flipped the fan open again and daintily held it in front of her face. "How horribly uncivilized of you." She hadn't finished speaking before Sebastian ran towards her. In an instant, he closed the distance between them and aimed a punch for her face. Ariel easily ducked the blow. Sebastian struck at her again but Arial blocked this one with her fan. While her fan wielding hand was busy, the demon successfully landed a kick to her ribcage. A snapping sound came from the angel's side. The force of the blow caused her to almost fall harshly onto the roof tiles. However, she quickly regained her footing and held up her fan to block another punch from Sebastian. Before she had time to heal her broken ribcage, Sebastian kicked her legs out from under her. Ariel lost her balance for half a second and the demon took this opportunity to land a brutal hit to her already shattered ribs.

The angel winced but didn't let pain slow her down. She twisted around mid-fall and flipped over backwards. Sebastian had to jerk back to avoid being kicked in the face by her high heeled boot. With an gymnastics's feat that would be impossible for any mortal to pull of with damaged ribs or wearing a long skirt, Ariel managed to put some space between her and her demon advisory. She leapt backwards across the roof and out of kicking range from Sebastian. Once she had some breathing room, she stretched her shoulder muscles to realign her broken ribs. It took her only a second to repair the damage his blows had done.

"My kind is stronger in hand to hand combat. And as you said I'm 'a very powerful demon". It is well within my power to kill you right now," Sebastian cracked his knuckles and watched the angel with split pupils. Ariel held her fan over her mouth and just laughed.

"Start a real fight? Here? Nonsense! You are nothing but a pathetic mutt whose leash is held by a mortal. He even named you after his old pet dog for Heaven's sake! It's too funny," she chuckled.

While the angel was distracted Sebastian lunged forward to attack again. He made grab for her throat but she ducked around him. She managed to get a clear shot at his back and stabbed him between the shoulder blades with her fan. The edge wasn't sharp but the angel was strong enough to ram the metal object into his skin. The demon quickly turned to face his opponent but Ariel had retreated several feet away. Sebastian didn't take his eyes off the enemy as he reached to pull the weapon out of his back. The metal fan made a hissing noise as it burned his flesh. Sebastian ignored the pain and yanked it out. The fan was white metal and had a symbol of a cross on its handle. It was blessed with holy power and therefore made his demonic flesh burn. Sebastian tossed it away. The bloodied object slid across the roof tiles before landing in the rain gutter.

"I just made these clothes. Now, I will have to mend them" Sebastian sighed about the bloody hole in his new outfit.

"I've watched you fight before. I'm good at judging people's weaknesses. For example, you aren't used to fighting anyone faster than you are. Isn't that right, filthy demon?" Ariel mocked and pulled another fan out of her pocket.

"I'll take care to remember that kind advice." Sebastian held a few knifes ready to throw but paused. "How have you been spying on me?" he demanded.

"Spying? It's hardly spying to keep an eye on one's toys. By the way, where are you keeping all those knives? Is that some demonic power I don't know about? Bottomless pockets?" Ariel tilted her head in a carefree manner. She eyed the demon as if looking for an extra satchel hidden in his coat.

"A toy?" the demon scoffed, he chose to ignore her taunt about the knives. Ariel yawned nonchalantly before continuing.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a large sample of demon blood these days?" she gave an overly dramatic sigh. "I've had the means to create the gray winged creature for almost a century now. But any demons I could catch were too weak for the ritual. Strong demons are very good at hiding on Earth and are almost impossible to find. Not to mention it would be a real hassle for me to kill one. However, all demons have a few common weaknesses," Ariel snapped her fan open dramatically and grinned at Sebastian with holy light glowing from her eyes, "their stomachs and their pride. They can't resist a tainted soul."

"You used Ciel Phantomhive…" Sebastian began.

"As bait," Ariel finished. "Dangle a tortured, helpless, revenge driven soul like that boy at the end of the lure and you will catch some big fish," she smiled.

"You killed the Phantomhives to get their child, turned him into a perfect meal, tempted a demon to Earth with his soul, and then used that demon's blood to create your creature," Sebastian recited.

"You forgot the part where I kept on eye on the boy and the demon for years, how I created an accident in a highly crowded area to injure that demon, and then had my minions collect a sample of his blood after he so foolishly it threw away," Ariel wagged a finger at him mockingly.

"A flawless and rather unnecessarily complicated, plan, Miss Ariel," Sebastian said with spiteful politeness.

"Isn't it?" she smiled.

"You may very well have succeeded if any demon other than myself had claimed the boy's soul."

"There is your foolish arrogance showing through. You think you are so special, simple creature. I suppose your pride for your family line is why you care for that girl," the angel sighed. Sebastian grew tired of listening to her boast. He threw the knives at Ariel's chest. "You are all just pawns in my plan and soon the whole world will be mine." The angel took a step and fell backwards. The knives flew above her head as she fell straight off the roof.

Sebastian ran to the edge of the roof and looked down. He saw Ariel standing by the garden. She was happily talking with a few members of English nobility. One of them clearly knew her. Ariel took his arm and joined the conversation. In a minute, she shared a carriage with two families. Sebastian recognized the humans as people of importance. There was no way he could kill the four adults, their children, and the carriage driver, just to get Ariel. Following the carriage wasn't even an option, Sebastian couldn't leave Ciel and Aliya unprotected. Right before she entered the carriage, Ariel turned around. She looked to Sebastian on the roof and gave a smug wave. With that, she ducked inside.

Sebastian watched the carriage until it rounded a corner and disappeared from view. He then pulled off his jacket and took a minute to mend the tear Ariel's fan had caused before descending the roof. He reentered the dance hall to fetch the children. Sebastian saw Ciel standing with his back to a wall and intently watching the front door. Tanaka was standing near the boy as protection from the other party members but Aliya wasn't in view. Ciel didn't take his eyes off the demon as he walked across the room towards them.

"Did you kill her?" Ciel demanded the second Sebastian came close.

"No," Sebastian answered simply. Ciel angrily smacked the demon in his face. Sebastian didn't allow his expression to change in the slightest.

"You let her get away?" Ciel kept his voice just below a shout so other people in the room wouldn't hear.

"She escaped using humans as a shield."

"Why are you standing her instead of going after her?" He looked ready to hit Sebastian again but didn't want to attract more stares from other guests.

"The angel has many humans under her control I couldn't leave you here unprotected," Sebastian said. "We should return to the manor."

"Did she say anything to you?" Ciel asked, still furious.

"I will explain later," Sebastian looked about for Aliya. Tanaka was talking to Elizabeth, probably giving excuses for Ciel's strange behavior but Aliya wasn't around.

"What did she tell you?" Ciel demanded.

"Young master, continuing to project your hatred for the angel onto me won't help anything," Sebastian said bluntly. Ciel grew silent but didn't stop glaring at the demon.

"Where's Aliya?" Sebastian asked. Ciel pointed to a small circular table a few feet away.

"She said she needed to get away from prying eyes," Ciel explained. Sebastian knelt next to the furniture and lifted the long table cloth. Sure enough, Aliya was huddled there with her face hidden in the folds of her skirt. The girl didn't respond to her father when he said her name. Sebastian had to take several minutes to coax her out from under the table.

By the time Aliya was standing upright and clinging to her father's hand, Ciel was saying final words to the host. The earl exchanged a few pleasantries and said a quick goodbye to Lizzie before hurrying to the door. Tanaka didn't question the hasty exit as everyone got into a carriage and double timed it back to the relative safety of the Phantomhive manor.


	28. The Noose Tightens

"Explain what happened!" Ciel demanded. The young earl glared at his butler who joined him in the dimly lit room. The other servants hadn't left the manor and tried to ask Tanaka why the young master was so upset. Before the elderly man could explain anything, he deflated back to his miniature version and started snoring.

"The angel provoked a confrontation on the roof," Sebastian began. Aliya sat in a nearby chair and hugged her knees. Ciel had ordered them into a room and locked the others out before Sebastian could even suggest that the boy should change out of his party clothes. "She is a powerful member of her race and surprisingly clever," he continued while keeping a weary on Aliya. Her hysteria had subsided considerably but she hadn't said a word on the trip back. Too much talk about her mother might cause a panic attack.

"What did she tell you?" the boy continued.

"What makes you think she told me anything of significance, young master?" the demon asked carefully.

"All of the inhuman creatures I have met so far have a tendency to gloat. I order you to tell me what she said to you during the whole time you were with her," Ciel glared at his butler. Sebastian paused to consider how to word the bomb he was about to drop.

"Ariel said several insulting things about Aliya."

"And!" Ciel either didn't care that Aliya was present or thought that she should hear the truth.

"She told me that she has been spying on us since the beginning of our contract. She also claimed responsibility for the accident that caused me to lose my leg."

"From the beginning of our contract?" Ciel asked. Sebastian could see the thoughts turn in the boy's head. He was intelligent enough to figure it out so the demon stayed silent. "Ariel needed your blood to make Aliya," Ciel considered.

"Yes."

"That accident in happened only a month or two after we met."

"Two months and six days."

"Don't tell me!" Ciel slammed his hands forcefully down on his desk. "Don't tell me I was killed for the sole purpose of bringing you to Earth!"

"Any powerful demon, not me specifically," said Sebastian.

"My parents, all that happened to me, the contract, my revenge, everything, she had it all planned from the start? She couldn't have manipulated me..." Ciel looked up at Sebastian with desperation.

"That is exactly what she did," the demon said bluntly.

"Fuck!" Ciel swung his arm to forcibly knock the few items on his desk to the floor. Sebastian watched the boy with a steady, unemotional stare. Ciel dropped into his chair and held his head with both hands. He stared down at the surface of his desk but his eyes were unfocused.

_"This can't be true," _the boy thought frantically. He had thrown away his soul so that he would have a chance at peace of mind. His contract with Sebastian was supposed to be his ultimate weapon. When he had made the contract he had meant it to be a spontaneous act, something he had decided to do on his own, so he would have some control, something to give him an upper hand against his opponents. Was it true that the angel had planned for him to make a contract from the start? Controlled him? Tortured him until he became what she wanted him to be? The angel didn't need Ciel. She just needed his soul as the meat for her trap.

It was all about Sebastian. Of course it was all about him, it always was. Ciel meant nothing. His life meant nothing. His family meant nothing. He was nothing but a tool, an expendable human, a meal for a demon…bait. Everything that happened to him didn't matter. The whole thing had been planned from the start. Ciel had escaped the cage. He thought he was free. This whole time he had believed that he had been making his own decisions. Even with Sebastian's presence in his everyday life, Ciel had always felt like he held onto himself, that he had some control. But now the floor fell away from him. The truth was that Ciel had never escaped the cage. The angel had watched him this whole time. The woman who ruined his life had been manipulating him from afar all these years, the same why she did when he was her prisoner. For three years she had been laughing at his pride. Laughing at how he thought he was so clever. Laughing at him because she had made him into what he was.

"Sebastian," the boy finally spoke after several minutes of silence.

"Yes?" Sebastian hadn't moved a muscle in that time.

"Did she say anything else?" Ciel asked without looking up.

"'soon the whole world will be mine.'" Sebastian quoted. "It seems that Aliya was correct from the start, Ariel never planned to raise her as an angel." He glanced over to the girl who still sat in the chair. She didn't move or give any indication that she was listening.

"What is her plan then?" Ciel continued to speak in a listless and emotionally drained tone of voice.

"According to the 'The Gray Winged Prophecy', Aliya has the power to 'break down the walls of good and evil'. However, I'm unsure what Ariel would gain from such an act. I do not know if it is possible for her to rule the plains of existence if she harnesses that power or not. Perhaps she merely wishes to destroy everything," Sebastian explained.

"She wants to make a perfect world," Aliya finally spoke. Ciel lifted his head to look at her. "She told me that she would cleanse the impure. She used to me her 'little martyr'. My power will be used to wipe out this world and make her God of the new order," Aliya said barely above a whisper.

"I see…" Sebastian said after a moment's pause.

"What do we do now?" Aliya muttered.

"All we can do," Ciel took a deep breath to remove the pain from his voice. "She never planned for Aliya to escape, did she?" He looked up at Sebastian.

"No," the demon answered.

"In that case, the fields are even. Ariel can't do anything without Aliya." Ciel gave the girl a kind look that was usually reserved only for Lizzie. "Aliya, if you hadn't escaped than we would never have known about any of this. But thanks to you we can fight."

"I…" Aliya stammered. Sebastian reached over and stroked her hair in a comforting gesture.

"I assume that you can beat Ariel in a fight?" the earl insisted.

"Without much difficulty. But I may require different orders if she attempts to use humans as a shield again," Sebastian nodded.

"Fine. This is an order, next time you see the angel you are to kill her. I don't care who gets in the way."

"As you wish my lord," Sebastian bowed with a small demonic grin on his face. He looked forward to having an opportunity to brutally murder the angel who had made a fool of him and had forced him to be the parent of the gray winged creature.

"We will wait for her to make the next move. If she can't take Aliya back than any plan she has is worthless," Ciel confidently said. Yes, he still had a chance to beat the angel at her own game. She may have tortured him into a meal for a demon but that didn't change the fact that he was Ciel Phantomhive. He was still a king and still had his black knight in play. Except now it was Aliya's capture that would end the match.

"I can't go back to her. I would die first," Aliya muttered.

"I will not allow her near you," Sebastian reassured the girl.

**Seasnake: I worked very hard on this. Please let me know if you like what I did with the plot. If you don't like it, constructive criticism is also welcome. Because, while I probably won't change this story I plan to write many more things in my life and am always looking to improve.**


	29. Don't Underestimate Me

"Sebastian what the hell are you doing? I've been calling you for the past minute!" Ciel stormed into the kitchen. The butler looked up from his mixing bowl without much concern.

"I told you I would be busy here. Preparation for this cake can not be rushed," he said very calmly. The earl frowned, he didn't remember hearing that. "Sleep deprivation seems to be affecting your hearing, young master." Ciel's frown grew, he would have preferred if Sebastian didn't know about his recent nightmares. Three tense days had passed since Sebastian's discussion with Ariel. A certain gloom had descended on the manor in that time. Including but not limited to Ciel's inability to get a full night's sleep. The angel hadn't made a peep but that was hardly any reassurance. Ciel had decided to be much more careful in everything he did. He didn't want to risk playing into the angel's plans. Visitors weren't allowed and Ciel had declined any invitations he received. The servants could tell something was off but they tried to remain cheerful. At the first available moment, Sebastian had made sure that all the human servants had adequate firearms and ammunition in case of an attack on the manor. They were using the manor as a fortress. They had expected the angel to do something right away but she seemed content with making them fester in their own worry.

"Where's Aliya?" Ciel glanced about the room and immediately noticed that the girl was nowhere to be seen. He needed to know where she was at all times. If she disappeared than the game was lost.

"Clinging to me, as she has been for the past hour," Sebastian said with a reproachful glance down at his feet. Ciel took a step around the table and looked down. Sure enough, Aliya sat like a pathetic black and gray puddle at her father's feet. She had both arms wrapped around his lower leg while the rest of her body lay limply on the floor as if she didn't have the energy to position them in any comfortable fashion. Her eyes were closed but she didn't seem asleep.

"An hour?" Ciel repeated.

"And she hasn't spoken in three," Sebastian added as he stirred flower into his dish. "But she was doing chores this morning. So she is still in better condition than after Drocell's death," he remarked matter-of-factly.

"I have a task for you." Ciel looked away from the girl and pretended that he didn't care about her depression. "I need you to investigate this address," Ciel continued. Sebastian took the cake pan to the oven. Aliya continued to hang onto his leg and let him drag her across the floor. Sebastian was more than strong enough to accommodate the extra weight so didn't react in the slightest to his clingy child. "This is an order. Investigate any connections to the cult or Ariel that you can find. Leave no stone unturned. I'll watch Aliya while you are gone. Return here immediately if I call for you," the earl finished. He eyed the limp Aliya who was being dragged across the floor collecting dust. She must be in really bad shape if he was allowing her to do that.

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian bowed while still wearing his apron and had Aliya hanging onto his shin. He took the slip of paper that Ciel held and, with a glance, memorized the address. Then came the tasks of getting his coat and removing Aliya from his leg. The first was simple, the second not so much. "Aliya, I'll be back shortly." Sebastian tried to pry her fingers from their vice grip.

"Don't go out there. She will kill you," Aliya whimpered. She sat on the floor while Sebastian stood balanced on one leg and attempted to wrestle her arms off of his other. Ciel stood idly by and give his butler an expression that said "I'm not going to help you".

"I have told you before; I am stronger than she is."

"But she knows how to fight demons. Father, I'm scared." Aliya refused to make escape easy for him.

"I promise I will not die today. Now, obey your father or…" Sebastian didn't have to finish his threat. Aliya released her grip the moment he promised not to die. The demon stepped away from her and straightened his pant leg. "I'll return for afternoon tea," Sebastian said before he stepped out of the kitchen. Ciel watched the door swing shut behind him then spoke to Aliya.

"You can sit on the floor but you have to be in the same room as me," he said callously. Aliya stayed in her sitting position but didn't bother to pat dust off of her skirt. She didn't buy his uncaring act for a second.

"I can't rest. Every time I close my eyes, I see her. I can only doze off when I'm with my father," she explained.

"I don't care. Follow me to my study." He turned to leave but Aliya wasn't moving fast enough for his liking. "That's an order," he snapped at her over his shoulder.

Sebastian stood watch at the address. It was a very normal appearing bakery placed near one of the busy roads heading to London. He made note of the people coming and going. So far, everything was normal. Ah, there was something. A man glanced up and down the road as if nervous. And that was without a doubt blood on his shoes. The man ran inside and had a hurried conversation with the baker. The man and a few others then returned outside and went to the bloody man's cart. The three men unloaded a large trunk from the cart and carried it inside. Even through the box, Sebastian could smell a corpse. So, this bakery was being used as a crematorium.

The demon watched through a window as they carried the crate that had one or more bodies to the oven. This had to be one of the smaller branches of Ariel's cult. If these men had access to a church than they would burn the bodies there instead of at a bakery. Sebastian waited for the man with bloody shoes to finish his business. He then followed the man as he rode away from the bakery. He trailed the man as he ran several more errands. Sebastian kept glancing at his pocket watch, this was taking longer than he would like. Finally, the man returned to his home. Sebastian searched the area but there was nothing suspicious about the apparent building. The man's place of work must be where he had a connection to the cult.

Sebastian took time to dig up all the available information on the man with bloody shoes. His order to leave no stone unturned meant he had to find out all he could without delay. Unfortunately, by the time he finished he was running late. He arrived at the manor house a full two minutes behind schedule. The demon butler hurried to the kitchen to get tea ready. His cake wouldn't suffer much from baking extra but it would have to sit for a few minutes before being served. Sebastian didn't bother to take off his tail coat before he pulled open the oven. The demon blinked. His cake was missing. He had been irritated at the delay in schedule, now he was angry. Who in the house was dumb enough to steal from him?

He closed the oven and immediately looked for Bard. Sebastian had spent over an hour on that cake, if the cook messed it up… Or perhaps he was being too hasty. He shouldn't count Aliya out of being a suspect. Sebastian could never predict what that girl would do next. Sebastian found Bard smoking a cigarette by an open window. The human took one glance at Sebastian's face and immediately threw up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I admit it! I helped her get it out of the oven and put it in a dish. She talked me into it," he quickly pleaded his case. Sebastian didn't say anything. He turned away from the human and stormed off to find his daughter.

Aliya would be with Ciel so Sebastian headed to the room where his master was. Aliya had probably brought him the cake because her father was late for tea. If that was the case and her intentions were considerate than her punishment for this act would be minimal. Sebastian knocked on the door. "Come in," the earl's voice answered. Sebastian made sure to open the door in a calm and collected matter. He took one look into the room and froze in place.

Aliya stood next to Ciel's desk while carefully and properly holding the tea pot. The tea trolley was placed perfectly in the room with all of the plates and cake setting on it. The girl stood like a proper servant and didn't move from her position when her father appeared.

"How did it go?" Ciel asked. The boy took another sip of tea from his cup. Sebastian closed the door behind him and watched as Ciel passed his now empty cup to Aliya. The girl took it and gracefully poured him another.

"The address given to me is being used as a crematorium. From what I could learn, the owners don't fully understand where the bodies come from. They turn a blind eye in return for a small fee," Sebastian spoke politely while he kept his eyes on Aliya. She set the cup and saucer down on Ciel's desk with only the faintest of clinks while Ciel stabbed a fork into the slice of cake that she was set before him. "I followed the man who delivered the bodies they burn. Here is everything I could find on him." Sebastian held up several sheets of paper. Ciel reached out his hand, indicating that he would read them over himself. All this time, Aliya didn't abandon her post as a maid.

As Ciel read and ate, Sebastian took the opportunity to carefully study the arrangement on the tea trolley. Everything was stacked correctly and in a visually pleasing arrangement. Aliya had even placed a flower and vase in the center. "What happened here?" Sebastian asked the girl.

"You were running late and your cake was going to over bake. Bard helped me take it out. Then you still weren't here so I set up the trolley for you. When it was time for tea I brought it to Ciel," she explained without sounding embarrassed, proud, or defensive; good girl. And only answering when spoken to, very impressive. He glanced at the prefect arrangement again, very impressive indeed. Aliya set the tea pot down in its proper place and stepped to the side so that he could take over serving the master.

"Aliya," Sebastian placed on hand on each of the girl's shoulders. She looked up at him without any desirable emotion on her face. Sebastian gave her one of his best smiles. "I could not have done better." He leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his daughter's forehead. Aliya stiffened with shock. Ciel paused chewing to stare. Sebastian pulled back and smiled at her again. Aliya blinked, completely unsure how to accept such strong praise from a parent. Sebastian patted her on the head as he returned his attention to waiting on the young master.

"What was that?" the earl stared at his demon. His papers and cake sat on his desk momentarily forgotten.

"A display of gratitude and admiration," Sebastian smiled pleasantly. His words had apparently, finally, sunk in because Aliya stood with her hands clasped together, rocking happily back and forth, and wearing a closed lipped smile from ear to ear. Ciel eyed his demon butler with a weary eye. To him this seemed like a plot to control Aliya. The young earl then remembered the papers that Sebastian had given him and quickly returned to that topic.

"This man seems like nothing more than an errand boy for one of the lowest branches of the cult. But we should see what he knows. I order you to bring him here. He will be dead by the end of the day so I don't care if he knows you are a demon."

"Yes my lord." Sebastian bowed. An order to bring a cultist to the manor, unusual but necessary considering the circumstances.

"And be quick about it. I want him here before I finish my tea."

Sebastian returned to the apartment of the man with bloody shoes. The place was eerily quiet. The demon had last been at this place less than an hour ago, now nothing stirred. Sebastian decided to check with the landlord and see if the man with bloody shoes had left to run errands. Sebastian politely asked but landlord told him that none of his tenants had left recently. Sebastian thanked the man then went upstairs to the apartment he wanted.

Everything was quiet. There was no way the man could have sensed Sebastian following him, he had to be home. Sebastian knocked on the door, best to do this without causing a fuss. There was no reply. Sebastian tried the doorknob. It was locked so he twisted it off and pushed the door open. The first sight that greeted him was a pair of bloody shoes hanging several feet off of the floor. The man in question hung limply from a rope that was tied around an exposed beam and a stepladder lay on the ground beneath him. Suicide. Right as Sebastian was coming to interrogate him? That could not be a coincidence.

The demon carefully eyed the room before stepping inside. Nothing seemed suspicious. He went over to examine the body of the man. On a hunch he pulled the dead man's collar to the side. He was right; the man wore a cord around his neck. Sebastian snapped the leather cord and removed it from the corpse. Under his shirt, the man had worn a small glass vile of water as a pendent. Sebastian sighed, as he held it, the water glowed with white light. Water infused with holy power, it reacted when demonic forces were near. The man must have been instructed to hang himself the moment this charm gave off the faintest of a glow. This man was obviously in one of the lowest rings of the cult higharchy, yet he had been provided with a way to sense Sebastian's approach. This angel was very thorough and also had too much time on her hands if she could make holy necklaces for every single one of her followers.

Sebastian then felt holy power enter the body of the dead man that spun in lazy circles from the ceiling. The angel wanted to speak with him.

"This all seems rather unnecessary. I doubt the man knew enough to compromise your position," Sebastian spoke without bothering to look at the corpse.

"His job was to remain hidden, he failed, and he died," the angel's voice came from the lifeless body. "The manner in which you underestimate me is truly insulting. I'm still an angel. Now suffer my wrath, demon." At her words, light burst forth from the floor. Sebastian jerked away from it but the whole room crackled with power. The floorboards must have been ripped up, had symbols painted on the underside, and then returned to their position so that the markings were impossible to see. The holy symbols were relatively weak, a demon as strong as Sebastian couldn't be held by them. Still, white lighting crackled through the air at an alarmingly fast rate. The room practically exploded. The wood of the floor and walls caught fire. In a few seconds the whole building was ablaze.

In a shower of splinters and black feathers Sebastian landed on his feet thirty feet away from the building. He looked distastefully over his shoulder. Through the hole in the wall that he had made, he could see the burning body of the man with bloody shoes. The demon dusted ash off of his clothes. Annoyingly, he had to use his demonic power to shield himself from the trap Ariel had set. He only received a few burns which were healing nicely but his clothes were once again damaged. In addition to the burns, the vile of holy water had exploded which tore one of his gloves and his left sleeve. This angel seemed determined to ruin his entire wardrobe.

There wasn't much point in looking for anything else here. Ariel's cleansing fire would destroy any evidence and the people at the bakery wouldn't have any useful information. There wasn't even a body to take to the young master. Sebastian sighed and headed back to the mansion empty handed.

Ciel was just finishing his cake when Sebastian reappeared. The boy steadily watched him enter the room. Sebastian had taken a moment to change clothes before showing himself. It would not help Aliya's mental state to see that her mother successfully inflicted injuries on him, no matter how minor.

"I apologize young master, the man was dead when I arrived." Sebastian knelt before the boy.

"And?"

"The angel seems to have provided every member of her ranks with a necklace to sense my approach." Sebastian explained what happened. "She burnt down the building once I arrived. I have no trail to follow." As he finished speaking, Ciel pulled open a drawer of his desk. Sebastian watched with mild curiosity as the earl reached inside and grabbed a bank note. Without looking away from Sebastian, Ciel passed the money to Aliya who was replacing plates on the tea trolley. The girl took it and stuffed it into her pocket without any amount of joy on her face.

"This was a waste of time," Ciel said bluntly. He didn't sound very surprised, just angry. Aliya wore a grim expression that said she had expected as much.

"I no longer underestimate my opponent," Sebastian couldn't lie.

"You shouldn't have from the start. This is the second time you've let her get away. Fucking useless demon, get out of my sight," Ciel snapped and looked away from Sebastian.

"As you wish, young master." Sebastian respectfully bowed and left the room.

Sebastian waited in the hall until Aliya came out with the trolley. "Thank you for your help. I can take it now," Sebastian told her. Aliya nodded without a word. Sebastian started to wheel it down the hallway then heard Aliya dash away from him. "What are you doing?" he looked after her. She ran at demon speed through the mansion. Sebastian stood still and waited for her. In a second Aliya rejoined him in the hall.

"I can see that your hair is singed. Do you think I'm stupid?" she demanded and held up his discarded coat with several burn marks. Sebastian reached to the back of his head. Yes, a few hairs were shorter than they used to be.

"Calm down."

"Why won't you listen to me? She's going to kill you!" Aliya started crying. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. This girl had such potential. She had inherited all of his skill and he could train her to use it. He could raise her as his daughter and she would be loyal to him alone. She could become a demon feared in all of Heaven and Hell. If only the angel hadn't damaged her so badly.

"She is not going to kill me, Aliya." He let the girl cry against his chest. Sebastian was without a doubt going to kill Ariel in order to claim Ciel's soul, regain his dignity, and heal Aliya.


	30. Extra Security

**Seasnake: Sorry this took me a little while to write. I've been busy lately and I'm getting close to the end so it just gets harder and harder to come up with chapters. **

**The chapter starts with Ciel having a strange nightmare. If you want to skip over it, I won't be offended. It has nothing really to do with the plot. I just felt like writing a creepy dream sequence. If you do want to read it, enjoy.**

Ciel couldn't get comfortable in bed. He kicked the sheets away from him irritably. But then he was too cold and was forced to sit up and pull them back over his body. The boy lay on his back and stared into the darkness of his bedroom. It had been like this for several nights now. The rational part of his brain knew he needed to sleep but every time he started to doze off, some part of his mind would jerk him back awake. He was scarred to go to sleep and risk having more nightmares. It was ridiculous, in the daylight he would scoff at himself for being afraid of a few memories and his own mind. But it wasn't daylight now. There was nothing here except darkness to give him courage.

Ciel forced himself to stay still and let his mind wander. He needed to get some sleep. Finally, he started to feel tired. Then he saw the fire. The boy forced himself to keep with the dream image. He needed this rest even if it meant suffering a nightmare. There was a ring of fire around him in the dream. He sat helplessly on the ground and stared at the orange light. A figure walked out of the curtain of flame, holding a piece of metal glowing red hot.

"So prideful," the angel's voice came in his mind. "You pretend to be something special but you are already marked." She pressed the hot metal to the skin of his neck. "The queen's watchdog. You are nothing but an animal, a piece of flesh, a dog. You can be left to die by your owner or cut up and eaten if your owner is hungry. You may be the pack leader of other dogs but this is a man's world, mutt." She walked around him and made a circle around his entire neck with her burning piece of metal. "What do you do with a dog that gets too full of himself? Beat him into submission? Or perhaps it is better to humor him a little. After all, it is only a dog. It will die in a few years, anyway. Why not let it think it is something important for its short life?" Ciel looked down. The ring made around his neck was suddenly a dog collar. Two dog tags hung from a loop on it. One had the angel's symbol that was branded onto his back and the other had the familiar pentagram that represented his contract with Sebastian. "My, my, a dog with two owners," the angel continued to taunt him.

The piece of metal she held had somehow transformed into a leather strap while Ciel was looking down. She gave a yank on the leash and harshly jerked Ciel's head towards her. "The little family dog thinks he runs the house, dear." Ariel looked to the side. Ciel followed her gaze and noticed that Sebastian had joined the scene. He stood near the angel but his image was obscured by flame. Ciel could see only the clawed hands and black wings that he recognized as the demon's true form. "Sweetheart, I think he may even be in love with our little daughter. Maybe I shouldn't have given him to you as a birthday present." The angel jerked on the collar again which forced Ciel's gaze away from Sebastian. He was now looking at fire again only this time it was in a fire place. Ciel's surroundings had changed to a house. It looked like his living room only decorated in different colors. The fire was the only source of light in the room and made shadows dance across the floor. Family portraits and other paintings hung on the walls and normal furniture was placed around. The boy realized that his point of view was very low to the floor. He could tell he was in the body of a dog but didn't want to look at himself to confirm it.

"It hardly matters if he thinks he runs the house," Sebastian's voice came from above him. Ciel turned to look up at the sound. Now his leash was held in one of Sebastian's clawed hands. The rest of the demon was hidden in shadow but Ciel could see his red eyes glowing in the dim light as they looked across the room.

"You pamper him too much." Ariel sat lazily on the couch. Her white wings were unfolded as she reclined there. "It's only a dog, dear. You shouldn't put him on a pedestal," she lectured the demon who appeared to be her husband in this twisted scenario.

"It doesn't matter," Sebastian repeated. "He is good for Aliya."

"Good for her?" Ariel scoffed and waved a dismissive hand towards the fire place. Aliya sat on the rug in the middle of the room. She looked younger than she usually did, maybe only five. "She's starting to think that she is a dog. That retarded girl is hopeless." At the sound of her mother's voice Aliya flopped her head to the side and gazed at the angel with unfocused eyes. Ciel swallowed a lump in his throat. "Ah well," the angel sighed. "We know where both of these stupid creatures are going to end up." A white boot lashed out and kicked Aliya in the back. The girl fell forward into the fireplace. She pitched over the edge and was swallowed by it. Ciel yelled but it came out as a high pitched bark. Someone, he couldn't tell who, started to pull on his leash. He tried to resist but he was a small dog and got dragged across the floor towards the fire. "Burn forever…" the angel said in a singsong voice as a final tug sent Ciel tumbling down into the pit filled with flame.

Ciel gasped and opened his eyes. He pressed his palm to his forehead as if to hold back his irrational terror. Not again. A rustling noise of someone moving around reached his ears. Still frightened from his nightmare, Ciel sat bolt upright.

"Good morning, Young Master," Sebastian said pleasantly despite his master's obvious distress. Ciel grumbled and rubbed sleep out of his eyes while Sebastian walked to the curtains to let in the morning light. "As you requested, I have canceled your tutors' visits until further notice," Sebastian explained the schedule for that day.

"Sebastian, did you know Ariel before now?" Ciel asked on impulse.

"I did not," he answered calmly and went about getting Ciel's clothes ready.

"She can't invade my dreams, can she?"

"It would be within her power to give you nightmares in a small degree," Sebastian said calmly. "However, if she did place some manner of curse on you then it would be imbedded deep within your mind or as part of the scar on your back. I could do nothing to remove it."

"A curse?" the boy repeated.

"Don't worry, Young Master. A small curse like that would not be able to harm you physically or damage your soul. And remember there is no way to know for sure if there is a curse," Sebastian recited this information as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Ciel eyed him skeptically as he climbed out of bed. He didn't like the idea of being cursed but if Sebastian said it wasn't something to worry about than he should focus on something else. Besides, curse or no curse didn't change the fact that he was having idiotic nightmares every time he closed his eyes. He would just have to soldier through.

"Could we use the manor as defense if she attacks?" The earl changed the topic.

"Yes."

"What if she were to attack with her whole cult?" Ciel continued to ask while Sebastian helped him get dressed.

"I doubt that she would do so, however, if she were to attack with her entire army than the manor would not be enough defense." Sebastian kept his voice polite even though he was amused by Ciel's sudden paranoia.

"Do everything you can to increase the defenses here. I don't like that Ariel caught you in an ambush outside while Aliya was here alone," Ciel instructed then added, "but don't make it obvious what you are doing. I don't need the servants getting suspicious."

"As you wish," Sebastian nodded. He had a few ideas in mind.

That morning Ciel could faintly hear hammering as he worked in his study. Sebastian added walls onto a corner of the roof in order to make a sniper view point for Maylene that could protect her from enemy fire. He also took the opportunity to give Aliya a lesson in basic carpentry and masonry so it took a bit longer than it would have otherwise. He also stored more supplies for the servants and fortified the cellar into a safe room. He knew that this was all rather unnecessary but whatever made the young master happy. Besides, the work kept Aliya preoccupied.

It wasn't until the evening when Sebastian's final preparations were complete.

"Young Master," Sebastian knocked on Ciel's door to inform him.

"Come in," the earl said in a bored tone of voice. "What is it?"

"The guests have arrived."

"Guests? What guests?" Ciel snapped.

"You told me to do everything I could to make the manor more secure and your main concern was Aliya's safety when I wasn't around. Clearly, my best option was to bring in another person who could defend her against the angel," he explained. Ciel took a second to process that then glared at his butler.

"You didn't…"

"They are down stairs," Sebastian smiled.

"Ciel!" The unmistakable voice with an Indian accent came from the hall. Apparently he had gotten tired of waiting downstairs. The young earl face palmed as Prince Soma burst into the study. "There you are, Ciel," he smiled.

"Hello, Soma," Ciel gave a defeated sigh.

"You look tired," Soma leaned closer to the young earl.

"I'm fine."

"You have circles under your eyes."

"I said I'm fine," Ciel snapped and turned his face away from Soma's concerned expression.

"We came as quickly as we could," Agni walked into the room at a much more reasonable pace.

"The Young Master appreciates your haste in this matter," Sebastian said politely. Ciel tilted his head so that he could look around Soma and glare at his butler.

"Your letter didn't say, why did you need us over here so quickly?" Soma leaned over to once again to obscure Ciel's view of Sebastian.

"I don't know, Sebastian was the one who called you here," Ciel decided it would be easier to tell the truth than make up a lie. Soma and Agni turned to look at the demon butler.

"He did?" Soma asked. Sebastian was doing things without Ciel's approval? That didn't sound good.

"Young Master, you have seemed depressed lately. I thought having Prince Soma here might improve your mood. I apologize for going behind the back but I only called them here for you benefit." Sebastian bowed respectfully.

"Well… you do look really sad. Do you need friends to cheer you up?" Soma leaned close to Ciel's face again, causing the boy to jerk away.

"I don't want to be cheered up. I'm working."

"On what?" Soma tilted his head to get a look at the papers on Ciel's desk. The earl snatched them away. "Ciel?" Soma was taken back by the forcefulness of his movements. Agni also looked concerned by Ciel's behavior. Agni glanced to Sebastian who wore a carefully crafted expression that said he was gravely worried about his master's condition.

"I need to get this done. I've already eaten my dinner. If you two are hungry go get something yourself," Ciel said and ignored the extremely empathetic way that Soma was regarding him.

"That's horrible hospitality," Soma pouted.

"I didn't know you were coming," the earl glared at Sebastian.

"I have something prepared if you wish to eat," Sebastian offered. Soma looked at Ciel with concern but he was starting to get hungry.

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later, Ciel," Soma said reluctantly. The prince made sure that Agni walked between him and Sebastian as the butler led them to the dinning room.

"Damn it, what else do I need on my plate right now?" Ciel muttered to himself once he was alone again. He held his head to ward off the sleep deprivation fueled headache that was starting to form in his temples. As if an evil cult, an insane angel, and having to look out for Aliya weren't enough, now he had to worry about Soma. Sure, Agni would be able to help defend the manor in case of an attack but it was a package deal. Get an incredible fighter and you also get an ADHD prince.

Ciel suddenly heard the door to the study open. He waited for someone to say his name and bug him but nobody did. The door closed again without anyone introducing themselves. Only one member of his house had bad enough manners to open a door without knocking. "What is it, Aliya?" Ciel sighed without looking up from his desk.

"I don't want to see them," she said barely above a whisper.

"Who? Soma and Agni?"

"I made a promise to Agni and I can't keep it."

"Aliya, they are here to help protect you," Ciel finally leaned back to look at the girl. She stood in the room with her arms wrapped around herself. If Soma thought Ciel looked tired, what would he say about Aliya's appearance? "Agni is strong enough to at least slow your mother down, if it comes to that." Aliya looked forlornly at the wall.

"I don't want them here," she said sadly.

"Neither do I," Ciel sighed.

"Do you not like Soma?" she asked. Ciel opened his mouth to say something insulting about the prince but then saw Aliya's troubled expression.

"Depends on my mood. And only in small doses." Aliya nodded like she either understood or appreciated that he told her the truth.

"I'm scared. I don't want them to know about me. They're too pure to be around something like me," Aliya tightened her grip about herself as if she were stopping shivers.

"They won't find out. And Agni won't care about a promise. Just blame that on your father for calling them here on such sort notice. But like or not they are here to keep an eye on you," Ciel said bluntly. "This is an order, go downstairs and talk with them so that I can finish my work." He picked up his pen and reorganized the papers in front of him. Aliya stood motionless and watched him. "Aliya, I ordered you to go downstairs," Ciel said in his most commanding voice. The girl very slowly walked away from him. She paused at the door, hoping he would change his mind. Ciel shot her a final icy stare and she obediently left.

Ciel sat alone in blissful silence. He looked over the financial reports on his desk but the numbers didn't make much sense to his foggy mind. The boy got up and walked to the door. He turned the lock to seal himself inside as if that might help him focus. He didn't know how long he sat there but his third paper was almost completed when a loud banging sounded on his door.

"Ciel open up!" that was Soma's voice. Ciel stared down at his pen, determined to completely ignore the prince even if he kept up the racket up for hours. Fortunately, Ciel then heard Aliya talk to him.

"Soma, he's tired. Come on, show me how to play cards."

"But…"

"If you let Ciel finish his work now, then he will be in a better mood tomorrow. Please, play with me instead."

"Well, alright. But you are coming out of there tomorrow, Ciel!" Soma gave a final knock on the door before he and Aliya left. Ciel sighed at least he could work in peace.

He wrote numbers on parchment over and over again. Still, the pile of papers on his desk didn't seem to be getting any smaller. It felt like he had been working for ages. How long until Sebastian came to get him for bed? Ciel looked up from his desk only to see Ariel standing in front of him. The boy gave a start and tried to stand up but found he couldn't. He was trapped in a small cage like an animal.

"Being powerless, that is what you hate most, isn't it? Aliya doesn't mind that so much. What really makes her crumble is emotional abuse." The angel studied her fingernails.

"You don't…" Ciel started to say but Ariel interrupted.

"…own you? Of course not, he does," she nodded towards the shadows. Ciel reached a hand out through the metal bars and suddenly a black hand was reaching back.

"Sebastian," Ciel sighed with relief.

"That is not my true name, Young Master Ciel Phantomhive." Sebastian gripped Ciel's arm so hard it hurt. The boy tried to jerk away but of course he couldn't. It suddenly didn't matter to Ciel if Ariel was still in the room or not. He knew what Sebastian could do; he had seen him rip grown men to pieces and smile. "Remember that," the demon said calmly. He leaned closer to Ciel, closer to the only candle in the dark room. Ciel could see his eyes as his face loomed near the light source. Soon his face would be out of shadow. Ciel didn't dare to see that, he couldn't. The young earl frantically snatched his arm away from the hand touching it and squeezed his eyes closed.

"Young Master?" Ciel blinked back to reality. His head was lying on his desk, he must have fallen asleep. Sebastian stood over him with one hand hovering nearby as if he had just shook Ciel's arm. "Are you alright?" Sebastian asked with concern.

"Don't act like you care," Ciel growled and pushed himself to a proper sitting position. His voice sounded shakier than he would have liked.

"I am your butler, it is my duty to care about your well being," Sebastian said with a small smile.

"Shut up," Ciel didn't want to hear his voice anymore. The earl promptly stood up and stomped towards the now open study doors. "Just help me get ready for bed."

Meanwhile in another part of the house Agni was just going to sleep himself. He heard footsteps from the direction of Ciel's study. Good, the boy was finally heading to bed. Soma had collapsed almost half an hour ago. Agni listened a little bit longer as two pairs of feet walked about. Sebastian forcefully told that Agni didn't need to help with anything else that night and he should get some sleep. The butler said a final prayer to Kali then climbed into the bed provided for him. He had told Sebastian he wouldn't mind sharing a room but the man had insisted on putting Agni in separate guest room. Since it the room was close to Soma's Agni hadn't protested the generosity. Come to think of it this room was also pretty close to Aliya and Sebastian's rooms.

It always took Agni a while to fall asleep. He was lying on his side, starting to drift into a dream when a sound snapped him back. Agni was instantly alert. He sat up and listened. The small noise of knuckles lightly tapping on wood came again. "Kyaa?" Agni regarded the door to his bedroom with curiosity. He had left it slightly ajar so that it wouldn't slow him down if he needed to run to Soma. Agni picked up the candle from his bedside table and carried it lit over to the doorway. "Hello?" he asked and opened the door further.

"Good evening," Aliya said quietly. Agni looked down at the girl. She stood in the hallway wearing a black nightdress and clutching a gray pillow to her chest.

"Miss Aliya? What…" Agni looked up and down the hallway but nobody else was in sight. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I couldn't sleep," the girl's eyes darted about as if the shadows made her nervous. Her hair was a mess like she had been tossing and turning. She had looked tired that evening when talking with Soma now she looked even more pathetic.

"I'm sorry," Agni expressed his sympathy. He wasn't sure what else to say.

"Can I sleep in your room?"

"My room?" That request caught him off guard. It seemed odd for an eleven year old girl to come to a man she hardly knew. Agni doubted he looked very friendly wearing his own sleeping clothes and his hair a mess. "Where's Sebastian?"

"Father doesn't sleep." Aliya gazed up at Agni. "Ciel doesn't want me in his room. And I understand that it is improper for a girl my age to share a room with a boy Soma's age." Agni looked down at her. She did seem very tired and sounded desperate for some rest.

"Are you having nightmares, Miss Aliya?" She nodded without a word and stared at the wall.

"…I'll sleep on floor. I won't be any trouble. My father won't mind."

"Sleep on the floor?" Agni repeated.

"I'm used to it. Please, I just can't fall asleep in a room by myself." Aliya clung to her pillow so tightly that the feathers might burst out. Agni paused only a second longer then stepped to the side to let her in.

"I understand."

"Thank you," Aliya quickly walked inside as if the room were a safe haven. She instantly dropped down onto the floor and cradled her head with the pillow.

"You don't have to sleep there, Miss Aliya." Agni walked over and set the candle back on the table. "You can have the bed and I'll sleep on the floor." He picked up a blanket so he would be comfortable on the hard wood. Aliya didn't respond to his words. Agni glanced down at the girl. She had already gone limp and was breathing regularly. Agni smiled kindly. She really was tired. The man gently draped the blanket over her shoulders before returning to his bed.

Agni settled back down but something was bothering him. Something that Aliya had said stirred in his memory. "Father doesn't sleep." She had said that. Agni mauled that sentence over. English was his second language but that didn't sound right. "Father doesn't sleep tonight." "Father doesn't like to sleep." "Father doesn't like me sleeping with him." "Father doesn't sleep often." All of those sentences made sense but saying "Father doesn't sleep." implied "Father doesn't **ever** sleep." Doesn't ever sleep? That didn't make sense. All humans needed to sleep. Then again, Agni recalled words spoken by Soma "Something is wrong with that man." "He has a dark aura." "Agni, he makes me nervous." "He almost seems like a demon to me." "Why is he with Ciel?" Prince Soma had expressed his concern about Sebastian many times. Agni, of course, listened to his prince but couldn't see anything wrong with Sebastian with his own eyes. Sebastian did have a threatening aura about him but many men did.

Agni sent a glance over at the sleeping child. She must have said the wrong thing. Either that or Agni was forgetting the rules of English grammar. There were many to remember he might have gotten one wrong. Agni decided that was the most likely option and turned over to go to sleep. It was impossible for someone to never sleep. He wouldn't worry about one misspoken sentence.


	31. Dime a Dozen Sinners

Agni had always been able to wake up without worrying about a clock. He got out of bed at roughly the same time every day so that he could do chores before taking care of his prince . This morning however, it felt like something other than his subconscious pulled him out of sleep. Some instinct, as ancient as a cave man jolting awake when a saber tooth tiger drew near, made the man open his eyes. Agni sat up in bed and started to blink sleep out of his eyes before he even knew why he needed to get up so suddenly.

There was light coming into the room. Agni looked over to the door and froze. For a second he saw a monster made out of shadows standing in the lighted doorway, staring at him with red eyes. Agni jumped and his body tensed for a fight. "Good morning, Agni," that was Sebastian's voice. Agni looked back at the creature silhouetted against the light but saw only Sebastian in his black clothes. The Indian man's heart rate slowed down from fear to confusion.

"G…Good morning," he managed to say. He glanced about the room but nothing else stirred. A second ago he was a hundred percent sure that something evil loomed nearby but now those thoughts suddenly seemed like a dream. Agni looked back at Sebastian. Sure enough, the man's eyes were brown, not red.

"I came to take Aliya off your hands." Sebastian said as he gazed at the girl sleeping on the floor. "Did she ask your permission or just sneak in here uninvited?"

"She knocked first. She said she didn't want to be alone," Agni explained.

"She has been having nightmares. Still, I find it odd that she would come to you," Sebastian remarked. Agni felt a chill in the air, as if Sebastian disapproved of his daughter's actions.

"She said that you wouldn't mind and that she had no where else to go."

"If informally sharing a room with a guest is the only way she could sleep, I won't punish her," he reassured Agni. Sebastian knelt down to shake the girl's shoulder.

"Mmff," Aliya grunted in response.

"Time to wake up," Sebastian said as he carefully picked up the groggy child. "Sorry, to bother you," he said to Agni then carried the girl out of the room.

"Father," Aliya muttered while he carried her back to her room, "are you upset?"

"That depends on your next answers. Why didn't you tell me you were leaving your bed?"

"It was a spur of the moment decision," Aliya admitted. Sebastian walked into her room and set her down to stand on the floor.

"Why didn't you come to me?"

"I was scared to walk through the dark house and find you."

"Will you do this again?"

"If I need to," she looked up at her father without any fear of making him angry. Sebastian regarded the child thoughtfully then looked away. He calmly took a dress off of its hanger and handed it to the girl.

"Take more naps during the day so that you don't become so tired and desperate again. Also, you can call for me if you need something at night. I'm never particularly busy so late, I won't mind. Now get dressed. You are in charge of entertaining Prince Soma so that the young master can work."

"I have a job?" Aliya asked excitedly.

"Yes. The Young Master is still in a bad humor. It would be best if you could preoccupy Soma for most of the day in his stead."

"My job is to spend all day with a pure souled mortal? Best assignment ever," Aliya said in a sing song voice as she started to take off her night dress.

"I feel compelled to remind you that our guests are mortals, Aliya," Sebastian said carefully.

"So?"

"So, they will die both long before you reach adolescence."

"I don't care!" Aliya stomped her foot on the ground defiantly. "I like them. When Soma is nearby I feel warm. It feels like… I'm sitting in a patch of sunlight or one of my stray cat friends is with me. His soul is so pure, the only other person I've seen like that was Drocell." Aliya wrapped her arms around herself at the mention of her old friend's name. "Agni too. He is the opposite of every soul that I saw around my mother. He knows about the corruption in his heart but embraces it as part of himself instead of running away or towards it like everyone else. I want to know how he does that."

"I can understand why you are comfortable around them but don't get too close." Aliya wasn't looking at him so Sebastian grabbed her chin and tilted her face to look up at him. "They will wither away before you blink an eye. Humans are what we must eat to survive nothing more."

"I'm not going to do that to them!" Aliya snapped.

"Aliya, a demon may admire a pure soul but will always look for a way to taint it."

"Control freak! Why won't you let me care about anyone other than you?" Aliya demanded and jerked away from her father's hand.

"Don't insult me, child." Sebastian glared down at her without raising his voice. Aliya glowered stubbornly back but didn't shout at him again. "I never said that you shouldn't spend time with them. It will be good for you to know something other than fear. Simply remember what I said. You are not human and never will be. It will only harm you to develop sense of mercy for your prey." Aliya held her father's stern gaze a moment longer then glanced down at the floor.

"I understand."

Sebastian left his daughter to get dressed alone and went to wake up the young master. He took the trolley to Ciel's room but could hear the boy moving about. "Young Master, are you awake?" Sebastian knocked politely.

"Just come in," the earl said irritably. Sebastian opened the door to see Ciel sitting in bed surrounded by papers that he looked to be in the middle of reading.

"How did you sleep?" Sebastian asked. Ciel sent him a glare. It seemed to Sebastian that the boy had yet another nightmare about having a soul eating demon at his side.

"Fine. I woke up an hour ago and figured I might as well get some work done since I couldn't go back to sleep."

"I'm impressed by your industrious attitude, Young Master." Sebastian said pleasantly before handing the boy the latest newspaper. "There are some things here you should see." Ciel didn't question and took the offered item. The front page was nothing unusual but Ciel froze when he opened the paper.

There were no less than three articles about recent murders. They were small incidents according to the paper with minimal news coverage squeezed between theater announcements.

"A double homicide, a murder committed last night, and five bodies discovered?" Ciel said out loud as he scanned the paper.

"None of the victims have been identified and nobody has come forward with information. The police believe that they were all either living on the street, illegal immigrants, or criminals. Nobody misses them."

"'Five bodies were found in the harbor yesterday but may have been dead for days'," Ciel quoted then looked through the paper for any extra mention of the events. "Damn it, there has been at least one body discovered in or near London for over a week, now."

"Yes, more victims than Jack the Ripper but there is nothing interesting about the recent disappearances or murders so nobody is taking much interest," Sebastian added.

"This has to be her doing," Ciel looked up at Sebastian. "But why is she leaving these bodies in the open all of a sudden? Her cult has been killing for years without anybody noticing."

"My best guess," Sebastian started to say as he picked up the papers from Ciel's bed and placed the in a pile. "Is that her crematoriums are overworked."

"You think she is killing more now?"

"Almost certainly. However, there could also be a ritualistic aspect to these murders. Many rituals involve spilling blood in a pattern or making a ring of the dead around a desired area. I have already checked the dump sites of the bodies but it doesn't fit a pattern. If she is doing something, then she knows enough to move the corpses and avoid detection."

"What would an angel gain by killing people?"

"The difference between Heaven and Hell are not as clear as mortals wish them to be. The death of sinners can empower an angel." Sebastian explained. "Not that Ariel is following the rules of her kind anymore. She is doubtless using any means from any faith to fuel her."

"Any faith, huh?" Ciel muttered but didn't pose it as a question because he didn't want an answer. "Can you use these recent murders to find the angel?" Ciel asked.

"No."

"That's all you have to say? You are supposed to be better than that," the boy growled.

"Ariel has had centuries to perfect her plan and decades to create her cult. No doubt she is in hiding in case I come after her. I may be able to track down one or two of her higher ups but that won't bother her in the slightest. Thinning her herd of followers won't stop her plan at this point."

"Rrr, she wouldn't have shown her face to us unless she was ready for any offensive move we could make. Damnit, all we can do is sit here and wait," Ciel fumed. Sebastian let him grumble for a second then spoke up again.

"You also have a letter this morning. It was priority mailed." Ciel took the envelope bitterly. He was surprised to see that it didn't have a royal seal from the queen and instead a civilian address.

"Abberline?" the boy wondered out loud. Sebastian was ready to hand him a letter opener but Ciel ripped it open without one. Inside the envelope were a few pieces of parchment and a photo. Ciel grabbed the top letter in Abberline's handwriting and quickly read it over. It would have been rude for Sebastian to read of his master's shoulder so he busied himself by selecting clothes for that day.

"_Earl Ciel, I'm not supposed to tell you this so I'm sending this letter from my home instead of the station. You may have already heard about this but I don't think so. The officers on the street are just getting wind that something is very wrong; the news hasn't reached the queen yet. I'm getting really worried. Lord Randall keeps telling us that nothing is out of the ordinary. He's the commissioner so everyone else trusts him but I can't ignore what I'm seeing out here. Just last month there were whole gangs of men on the streets and the poor houses were full of unfortunate families. But yesterday, while on my shift the same streets were nearly empty. People are disappearing._

_Two days ago I was talking with a few other inspectors about how the ring of thieves in the harbor had been quiet. We were watching them because they looked like they would become a powerful gang in the London underworld but now they have mysteriously dropped off the map. Lord Randall overheard us and insisted that they had moved to new territory and we would pick up their scent soon. But my coworkers agree with me, that gang wouldn't move, they had territory in one of the best shipyards. Those thirty plus men have up and vanished._

_We have been finding lots of unidentified bodies recently. This isn't unusual for us, sadly. Still, I think we are finding more than normal. I can't be sure because I don't want Randall to see me going through the records. But even with all of the bodies we have sent to the Undertaker it doesn't add up to the number of disappearances. All of the locals are on edge. I spoke with a homeless woman to confirm my suspicions. She said that she was going to flee the city with her children because several of her acquaintances had gone missing over the past days._

_Nobody is talking about this because they are glad that the criminals have disappeared. As for the poor folk that are missing, nobody notices that unless they look for it. Part of the reason nobody has noticed is because the people who are still on the streets have become louder. There are more drugs out here all of a sudden. I broke up three fights between men drugged out of their minds today. Instead of the disappearances, Randall keeps us busy looking into illegal opium dens. All the criminals that haven't disappeared suddenly seem to be drug addicts._

_Not just the lower class citizens either. Shop owners, sailors, almost everyone in the east end seems to be using. I can't explain it. I walked down there and everyone had a pipe, chewing something, or was starring into space. The smart citizens of the east end have locked themselves in their homes. Randall keeps saying that it is opium, cocaine, and other normal drugs that have gained in popularity. But it's not! I think it's something new that just looks like the old drugs and that is why so many people are using it. I don't know how but I think this drug has something to do with all of the disappearances. Maybe that is why nobody is reporting the disappearances or coming forth as witnesses._

_I don't know what to do. I can't talk to Randal. He wastes our time with meaningless tasks while turning a blind eye to everything. Several of the other inspectors that started asking questions are now buried under paperwork at the station. The newspaper is ignoring the important issues. I don't think that any of the nobility or the queen have been informed what we are seeing on these streets. I may sound crazy but I think this news has been purposely kept quiet. I think that Lord Randall and other people in power are down playing it to keep the queen from noticing._

_No matter what they say, it's bad in London, Ciel. Every day we are breaking up bar fights, people who never used drugs before are now sitting in the gutter or visiting opium dens, the streets are getting more and more deserted. People are scared but they don't know what to do about it. Most of them don't even notice what is going on. And those that notice don't care that the poor neighborhoods are falling apart. They just look at it as the gutters being cleaned out._

_Something is going on, Ciel. I don't know what it is or how this is happening but it is like the world is coming to an end. People are disappearing and those who are still here are losing their minds. I hope I'm not too late in sending this letter. Maybe you have already heard something but I guarantee it is worse than you think. Your family is supposed to have connections in the underworld. I hope you can figure out what is happening and do something before then entire city is affected by this._

_-Please help, Fred Abberline._"

"Sebastian, look at this," Ciel read the letter word for word then quickly passed it to his butler. While the demon read, Ciel looked at the other contents of the envelope. One of the papers was a letter addressed to Scotland Yard written in neat handwriting.

"_Dear Inspectors, my name is Mrs. Fredrick and I run a charity organization. We help provide food and clothing to ones less fortunate than us. However, in the past few months and especially the last week or so many of my regular visitors have stopped coming. Good men who I have known for a many years have taken up the smoking of opium in great quantities and won't answer my questions. I believe that they have turned to opium out of anxiety. When I inquire about the disappearance of their friends they never give me a straight answer. I feel something is very wrong. I know that Scotland Yard does not usually concern itself with the nameless poor folk but the walls of my charity are nearly empty. You really must look into this matter._"

Without a word, Ciel passed that note to Sebastian and pulled out the next one. This paper was dirty as if Abberline had found it on the street. The handwriting was sloppy like that of a child. "_Missing: a boy named Charlie. Short red hair, brown eyes, freckles, missing a toe on his right foot. He is not very tall and last seen wearing brown. Also last seen in the east end. If you find him, please tell him that Randy wants him to come back home._" Ciel put that sad appeal back into the envelope instead of giving it to Sebastian.

The earl then took a look at the photograph Abberline had sent. It was a picture of a dead body discovered on a street. Abberline must have taken it from the crime file. Ciel turned it over, Abberline had written "Unidentified body found on 4th street two days ago. Picture taken at ten a.m." Ciel turned it back over. What was the point of this? Then he saw it. The street was empty. It was a wide shot of the entire street. There were police officers there and only five pedestrians staring at the body and one or two people in the distance going about their business. 4th street wasn't in the busiest part of London but it wasn't a quiet street either. Why was it practically deserted at 10 a.m.? There should have been a crowd around the body not five people. Abberline was right, this was worse than Ciel expected.

"What do you make of this?" Ciel looked up at the demon standing next to his bed.

"These events do not surprise me."

"She's killing sinners by the hundreds," Ciel muttered, looking at the eerily empty photograph. "Lau is in on this, I wager. Last time he was here he tried to convince me to let him lace his opium with a new drug. He said it really brought in repeat customers. It was so addictive that he wanted to clear it with me before using it on a wide scale."

"Angels often wage war in an underhanded way. It does not surprise me that Ariel is creating more sinners with a drug and using humans to distribute it for her," Sebastian agreed.

"Is there anything you can do about this?"

"Other than pay a visit to your underworld connections, no. The situation is too far advanced for me to stop."

"I'll write a letter for Lau. I want you to see if he is part of this or not. Then, I'll send word to the queen and anyone else I think will listen. Maybe having more people on the lookout will slow down her cult." Ciel was ready to climb out of bed but Sebastian stopped him.

"Young Master, you really must get dressed first."

Ciel not only got dressed, he also ate breakfast and wrote his letters before venturing out of his bedroom. When he got downstairs it was a simple matter to find his guests. Soma and Agni had apparently gotten out their instruments and were showing Aliya how to play them. The three of them sat on the manor floor, which Aliya was very well acquainted with by this point, and each had an instrument on their laps. Ciel heard Sebastian give a small sigh and guessed that it was because Aliya was not wearing a dress. She had instead chosen to wear her black and gray shirt and matching gray pants today. She probably didn't want to feel too ladylike while hanging out with Soma and Agni. Aliya had apparently opted to learn the tabla from Angi while Soma sat with the only sitar. The other servants were trying not to linger and stare at the strange scene as they went about their chores. Ciel stood to the side and watched them for a second then entered the room. He didn't bother trying to dodge them this time.

"Ciel!" Soma grinned the second he saw the young earl. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine." Ciel was expecting another comment about his nightmares but instead Soma said, "good, sleeping will help you grow taller." That was less annoying than mentioning his dreams for some reason.

"Namaste jii, Lord Ciel," Agni added happily.

"Can you teach me that too?" Aliya looked up at Agni expectantly.

"What?" Agni glanced down at her. "You want to learn Hindi?" Aliya nodded. "It would take a long time to learn a whole language, Miss Aliya," Agni said with a pleasant grin. Aliya opened her mouth then quickly shut it again when she noticed her father's warning stare.

"Want to join us, Ciel?" Soma offered.

"No, I…"

"You're not going to do more work," Soma stood up and looked at the boy with authority. "It's not healthy to sit at a desk all the time. You need to have some fun. But I just woke up I don't want to play a game that requires thinking this early in the morning," Soma considered. Ciel opened his mouth then changed his mind and remained silent, not dissimilar to what Aliya had done a moment ago. "I've got it!" Soma said enthusiastically as an idea occurred to him. "Let's play that game with the flimsy swords. I was getting good at it last time."

"Fencing?" Ciel guessed.

"That's it." As annoying as he was, the pure joy Soma radiated was refreshing.

"Oh, I haven't played that game," Aliya smiled.

"Than you can play too. We can gang up on Ciel since he's so good at it," Soma decided.

"Hey!" the boy protested that idea.

"Mr. Agni," Sebastian stepped past the children to say a few words to Agni.

"Yes?" Agni, as innocent and cheerful looking as always, glanced up from gathering the instruments off the floor.

"I have a few errands to run, do you mind being in charge of things while I'm gone?"

"Of course not, I'm happy to be of assistance."

"I should be back for lunch but I can't be sure. That might be left to you. Make sure the servants don't destroy anything, when the get enthusiastic they make mistakes. Also," he glanced over his shoulder but the children were too busy harassing each other to pay any attention to him, "kindly keep an eye on Aliya. She worries me as of late."

"I will watch her," Agni said with a sympathetic look in the girl's direction. He had the decency to not ask why Sebastian was worried.

"Young Master, I'll be back shortly…" Sebastian tried to tell his master as he got ready to depart but he wasn't sure if Ciel heard him, because at that moment Soma was teasing Ciel about how Aliya was taller than he was.


	32. Friends and Enemies

With the house under Agni's capable command and feeling confident that the angel wouldn't try anything on this bright and pleasant morning, Sebastian left for London. It seemed that he was traveling on foot instead of in a 'civilized' manner more and more these days.

Soon enough, Sebastian arrived in Lau's territory. He slowed his pace and took time to survey the city. He had sensed it when after the man with bloody shoes but didn't want to mention a hunch to Ciel. Now, only a week after last being here, the city felt hollow. The underbelly of criminals and things that decent folk preferred to ignore had been chipped away from the city. The demon in human garb paused at a street corner and just listened. Normally human civilization felt good, it was a feeding ground, now it left a bad taste in the back of his throat. The angel had ruined this city. He sensed something familiar for a brief second. Another powerful demon was in the city, no doubt having paused to smell the oddity of it as well. Any manner of 'supernatural' creature would be restless in a place like this. Sebastian started walking again. Yes, the angel had all but taken this city and he could do nothing to stop it. Maybe if he had been here fighting from the beginning but he had been kept busy with the young master and Aliya.

A few men milling about by a lamppost stared at him rudely as he walked by. They each held a lit cigar. Sebastian caught a whiff of their smoke as he past and coughed. There was holy power laced into that, without a doubt. Even the tobacco was infected. The angel was as thorough as ever. All that smoke was just another thing adding to this city's vile stench. Sebastian wondered if Agni had sensed the disturbance in the city before coming to the manor. He made a note to inquire about that once he got back.

Sebastian's thoughts almost made him miss seeing the black thing writhing in the drain. Well, almost for him anyway. He still jerked his shoe away in plenty of time but it came closer to his leg than he would have liked. "Don't touch me, worm," he hissed with disgust dripping from his words. The angry glare from his demonic eyes caused the black claw to slither back into the drain.

"I'm hungry…No food…Noble one…I beg you… Scared … Hungry …" the creature's scratchy voice pleaded.

"Not my concern, weakling." Sebastian strode away, leaving the filthy thing alone in its gutter.

"Where'd your frightening man servant go, Ciel?" Soma glanced around and noticed that Sebastian hadn't made an appearance. Soma stood off to the side while Aliya and Ciel fought.

"You think he's frightening?" Aliya looked away from Ciel. This was a mistake because Ciel jabbed her in the side with his saber.

"Pay attention," the boy grumbled. His mood was starting to turn sour. Both because he was getting physically tired and because Aliya was improving too damn fast. Could that girl move her body anyway she wanted without even trying? Ciel figured he had better end this soon before Soma noticed that Aliya had perfectly copied Ciel's footwork and the way he held his sword. Great, Ciel had successfully taught the girl another game that she was now miraculously his equal at. It was nice for her and all, but she was three years old for God's sake. It was annoying enough that her father was perfect at everything he did.

"Of course, he's frightening!" Soma shivered at the thought.

"I know. Most people just don't notice," Aliya said nonchalantly.

"Sebastian is running a few errands for me. Now, I'm tired let's do something else," Ciel decided.

"You're tired already? You need to exercise more," Soma commented. Ciel ignored him.

"I need to change then we can play cards or something else."

"I don't want to play cards," Soma fiddled with the bendy blade he still held.

"Fine, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Something we haven't done before. What's something new?"

"I don't care, pick something. I'm getting out of these sweaty clothes."

"My prince, I'll put that away," Agni had at some time appeared to take the fencing foils. Soma handed it over while still wearing his thinking face.

"Where are you going?" Soma noticed Aliya following Ciel towards his room.

"Huh? I figured he would need my help," she said innocently

"Help?" Soma tilted his head. Ciel paused part way to his room as he suddenly remembered that Sebastian wasn't there to help him get dressed. He hadn't thought of that when he decided to exercise. "Ciiieeelll…" Soma realized what was going on. "Don't tell me you can't get dressed by yourself, Ciel."

"Of course I can."

"No, you can't." Ciel shot the girl a glare. "Heh, don't deny it."

"Even I can do that, Ciel."

"Don't be too hard on him, Soma. English clothing has a bunch of buttons, ribbons and other silly things." Ciel started walking away from them again.

"No worries, Ciel, I'll help you." Soma bounded after him.

"No! Stay out of my room!"

"I can tie knots."

"That's not the issue!"

"What are you going to do, then? Stay in those clothes?" Soma presented a good point. Ciel cursed himself, he hadn't thought this through.

"I'll help him. I'm in charge of my Father's duties when he's gone," Aliya raised her hand.

"No way!"

"I understand that you don't want a guest to help but you aren't changing underwear so what's the problem?" Aliya asked.

"You have to ask, that's the problem."

"I'm eleven; I could see you naked and not care."

"And I'm a boy." Soma pointed at himself.

"…" Ciel glanced over to where Agni was putting away the fencing equipment. Asking him, another person's butler, for help wouldn't be any less embarrassing. If only Sebastian would come back at this moment.

Lau made Sebastian wait. This was annoying in itself, combine it with a room full of people watching him suspiciously, drugged out women repeatedly offering him opium, and the fact that the whole place reeked of stale holy power and Sebastian was in a very bad mood by the time Lau showed up.

"Mr. Butler, what do I owe the pleasure? Or are you just here to enjoy your time off work?" Lau said cheerfully.

"I'm here on behalf of my master. He…"

"Ah, is this about that little tiff we had recently?" Lau interrupted.

"No, he simply wishes to know if…"

"Good, good, don't want any misunderstandings." Sebastian's eyebrow twitched was Lau purposely trying to irritate him. Ran-Mau also seemed to be giving him a death glare as she sat next to Lau.

"In that case…" Sebastian started again but Lau completely ignored him.

"Spending time with the little earl is always entertaining but money is an important consideration as well. Hard to say no to a good business plan even if it runs the risk of annoying a few Englishmen. At what point do profits make up for risk, hm?" Lau paused to smoke his pipe. Sebastian waited for him to continue. "What were you here for, again?"

"I merely came to ask about London's condition. And perhaps if you had gotten a new supplier in the recent months."

"Oh…I don't care much for London, it's a rather boring topic. I'd rather that you answer a question of my own. I've heard a very peculiar rumor as of late." Lau set down his pipe and the room grew tense. "It's been disturbing my normally nice dreams. Just because it sounds so preposterous at first then the more you think about it, the more reasonable it seems. I think you will find it very interesting. I heard that you are an inhuman creature that can not tell a lie and I aught to ask you one simple yes or no question the next time I saw you. So, Master Butler, are you a demon?" Before anyone could move, Sebastian's hand was around Lau's throat.

"It seems that you have been listening to a certain blond haired woman, Lau."

"Aaahhh," Lau marveled at the red glowing eyes that loomed directly above him. Not at all, perturbed by the fact that Sebastian's fingers were around his neck. "I'll take that as a 'yes', hm?" The sound of gunshots echoed around the room and instantly Sebastian drew back. He only backed up a few steps to avoid getting shot and didn't allow the crime boss enough room to run. Lau, however, still sat on his coach smirking as his body guards advanced towards Sebastian. "Did you know? I've killed fairies before."

"How rude," Sebastian sighed, "comparing me to fey folk." He adjusted one of his gloves and let the armed men and women draw closer. He glanced about the room to check once more but could sense no gifts from Miss Ariel except for that disgusting, imperfect holly power in the opium. The henchmen came closer and a rather insane smile spread across Sebastian's face.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Ciel grumbled as Aliya helped him into his shirt.

"My dresses are just as complicated as this and I've worn your clothes before, remember?" Aliya said and did up his buttons.

"What?" Soma glanced over at them from where he was looking at all of Ciel's things. The prince was in Ciel's room, despite the boy's protests, but at least he wasn't touching anything. Ciel had threatened that Sebastian would be angry if Soma touched a single thing, so the prince kept his hands to himself.

"I stole his clothes once," Aliya explained.

"Oh yeah, I forgot these would fit you," Soma looked in the closet.

"Sebastian has those organized," Ciel warned.

"I'm just looking."

"There you go," Aliya grinned then picked up a pair of shoes. "Sit down and I'll tie these for you."

"No, don't. Let's teach him how," Soma intervened.

"Why?" Ciel grumbled.

"You don't want to be dependent on Sebastian for everything, do you? It's not hard, Aliya can do it."

"That doesn't prove anything," Ciel argued.

"Teaching someone to be independent shows that you care about them," Soma stated.

"You're right it does," Aliya considered. She then turned to Ciel with a determined expression. "It's a simple knot you can learn it in a few minutes." Ciel sighed, he obviously wasn't getting out of this.

"I'll explain it." Soma took one of the shoes and sat down so Ciel could watch him. "And Aliya, you restrain him if he tries to run."

"Don't you dare," Ciel muttered under his breath.

"After this, Aliya should borrow some of your clothes," Soma was joking but Aliya liked that idea.

"Can I?" she asked Ciel.

"I don't care."

"If you don't care I want one to wear one of your hats. They're too big for you anyway," Soma added.

"We're playing dress up, now?" Ciel asked.

"I have extra jewelry. Hey, I have a scarf that would look great on you, Aliya," Soma grinned.

"Really? Thank you. I love the patterns on your clothes," Aliya ran her fingers over the sleeve of Soma's shirt while she spoke. She obviously didn't care much about good manners when it came to the prince.

"English clothes are rather drab, aren't they?" Soma agreed and held up the cuff of his sleeve for her to admire.

"Actually, Aliya," an evil thought occurred to Ciel. Evil because it would let him get back at Sebastian for being useless lately. "I'd like to see you dress in your father's clothes."

"Huh?" Aliya and Soma both looked at him oddly.

"You can do an amazing impression of him when you try. Complete with an identical wardrobe and I doubt we'll be able to tell you two apart."

"You're a good parrot?" Soma asked Aliya.

"I guess…"

"She can even mimic his voice. Go on," Ciel prompted the girl.

"Uh…" Aliya looked embarrassed for a second then noticed that Ciel still hadn't gotten his shoes on. "Young master, you really mustn't walk about without shoes on." She bowed like her father and her expression was a mirror of his smug smile.

"That's freaky!" Soma jerked away from the girl. Aliya laughed.

"If Agni mends some of his clothes to fit her, we can give Sebastian a surprise when he gets back," Ciel grinned.

At least the smell of blood covered up a little bit of the angel stench in Lau's lair. Sebastian had no plans to play around this time. He didn't want to give Lau a chance to try anything funny so the crime boss's henchmen all fell to the floor in under a minute. One man fired a bullet which Sebastian returned to him while simultaneously kicking a knife wielding woman in the ribcage to rupture her internal organs. Another woman ran close to him. He didn't even bother to look at this one as he swatted her away and her head cracked open against the stone floor. A handful of thrown knives and down went most of his attackers.

Ran-Mau apparently had two large maces of her own. She came at Sebastian while he was busy ripping open the throat of the last standing henchman. If he was in a better mood, the demon might have fought her in a fairer manner. Instead he kicked a table into the air and then straight towards her. She smashed the item into splinters but not quickly enough. Sebastian was in front of her. She didn't have time to block before he struck her in the face with a punch that crushed the entire front of her skull.

There were two body guards left standing next to their boss. Lau was starting to pull a sword out of a hidden sheath. The blade never made it out, Sebastian broke Lau's wrist before he could draw it.

"Let's talk," Sebastian said calmly. The final two women guards slumped to the floor in unison, knives protruding from their foreheads. Lau didn't say anything for once in his life. Sebastian gave an extra twist to his already broken arm and the crime boss winced. "But first," Sebastian looked about the filthy lair. Several customers sat like statues, staring with wide eyed horror at the bodies. A few other patrons watched with glazed eyes, assuming that they were just hallucinating. "I think I'll deal with this place in a way that my opponent would find fitting."

A few minutes latter, Sebastian walked away from the burring building while dragging Lau along. A fortune in opium, all the bodies, and the unfortunate customers were consumed in flame. The normally fearsome drug lord couldn't do anything except mutter painful curses under his breath ad Sebastian led him forward by his broken limb. Sebastian had walked almost a block when Lau decided to speak up.

"Taking me back to your master like this? I don't think I'm presentable at the moment."

"Not at all," Sebastian said carelessly as he surveyed the cobblestones they walked on.

"What is a creature like you doing with the earl, anyway? That boy is good at drawing attention. Or does it have something to do with his past, hm?" Lau continued as if he wasn't about to die.

"Ah, here it is," Sebastian stopped walking. Lau watched wordlessly as he then tapped the edge of a rain drainage hole with his shoe. "Open wide," Sebastian said with a smile. Lau was about to ask what this was about when something stirred in the gutter. Sebastian grabbed Lau's shirt collar with one hand and lifted him with ease. Lau looked down and found himself hanging a foot or so above the filthy drain. Right beneath his shoes a mass that moved like a horde of rats stirred. Red eyes with split pupils glowed in the dark gutter and looked up at him hungrily.

"Thank you…Thank you…Eat…." Lau gasped when he heard the inhuman voice. On instinct he grabbed Sebastian's wrist because it was the only thing holding him up. Sebastian's glove was still wet with blood but Lau didn't dare to let go.

"Who told you about me?" Sebastian asked coolly.

"Now, now, why should I tell you that when I'm going to die either way?" Lau asked, still managing to sound unafraid.

"You are going to die, yes. But you can choose how. Either I can break your neck or I can let you be devoured by that filthy gutter rat below you." Lau stole a glance downward. He could now see razor sharp teeth.

"Rip out spleen…Munch…Munch…Soul up…Into tiny bits…"

"It's a pathetically weak creature so it will probably take it a few hours to fully consume a soul like yours," Sebastian considered. Black claws scrapped against the coble stones, reaching up to grab Lau but not quite making it. The man shuddered against his will.

"Once I'm dead I won't care about this information so I might as well tell you, no?" Lau smiled.

"I suppose so," Sebastian returned the grin.

"She said I could call her Ari. Beautiful woman, not really my tastes, but she had blue eyes, and blond hair. Ran-Mau was jealous of her hair style…Why did you have to break Ran-Mau's face? That wasn't very gentlemanly." Lau was lowered a few inches so that his shoes were almost within grabbing distance of the black claws. "Well, at least she went quickly, I suppose. Don't know if I'll be granted that. As I was saying, when I asked around I found enough evidence to support her story that she was representative of an independent goods supplier. She said her employer had recently developed a new chemical that could be added to almost anything. In her first meeting she gave me a free sample to distribute. Worked like magic. Oh, is that what it was?"

"Please…Down here…" the creature whimpered. Lau hurried his tale along. He explained all he knew about this woman. All of the information he had was useless. Apparently Ariel had anticipated Sebastian getting Lau to talk so she had made an alias for herself when dealing with him.

"I was a little miffed when I learned that all of the other businesses also had her exclusive product. But I was making a profit so I didn't bother hunting her down over that. As for the creepy atmosphere, I could care less. Let London die, I have plenty of other places to spend my time."

"Is that all?" Sebastian asked.

"Unless you know something I don't," Lau continued to smile. "Any chance you'll break my neck like you offered?"

"No." He let go. Lau held onto his wrist for a second as if that might save him but shadows wrapped around him and pulled him down into the sewer. Sebastian stood still and watched the black shapes writhing under the pavement for a moment. Lau gave a muffled scream and the sound of scurrying rats came from everywhere. "Once you finish, take as many of your kind as will listen and leave this city. I don't need filth like you swatting here waiting for the angel to find and devour."

"Yes…Yes…I will…Thank you…."

Ciel glanced at the clock. Sebastian was probably done with at least one or two of his visits to the crime bosses by now. If he would make it back for lunch or not probably depended on if Lau cooperated.

"What did Rama do then?" Aliya asked.

"This is when the story gets good," Soma smiled. The prince sat on the coach and held Aliya on his lap. One of Ciel's hats was still balanced on head but the earl doubted that would last. Aliya had gone through several outfits over the past half-hour now she wore a crazy amalgam of styles. Ciel hadn't been subjected to the game of dress up so he hadn't minded giving Aliya some of his cloths. She had on a pair of Ciel's shorts and socks, Soma's sandals, a sash around her waist, her own shirt, Sebastian's neck tie, a golden necklace, one of Ciel's jackets that didn't match the shorts, an ornate vest from Soma's collection on top of that, she had on Bard's blast goggles like a headband, her hair decorated in an Indian fashion, plus a collection of bracelets and rings. The girl had taken every article of clothing in she liked and decided to wear it all at once. Soma thought it was hysterical and the manor servants called her adorable. Soma had also offered to pierce her ears so that she could wear some earrings. Aliya looked like she was going to agree to that but Ciel stepped in and reminded Aliya that she had supernatural healing abilities.

The decorated child leaned against Soma as if sitting on the lap of an Indian prince was the most normal thing in the world. Ciel kept glancing at the girl, worried that she was going to freak out but amazingly she didn't. She didn't seem to mind at all that Soma hugged her like she was a large stuffed animal. In fact, Ciel had never seen Aliya look so content.

"Once Rama realized that his love was missing..." Agni continued with the story. The man sat in a chair facing the coach and the armchair that Ciel occupied. He was telling an ancient Hindu tale at Soma's request. At Ciel's request, Agni sewed while he talked. He had measured Aliya and was now fixing a set of Sebastian's clothes to fit her frame. Agni's enthusiastic story telling had also drawn the other members of the house. The servants all stood around listening instead of working. Ciel didn't care as long as they were quiet. Sebastian would probably be annoyed by the lack of work done this morning but that didn't stop Ciel from readjusting how he sat in his chair and listening to the rest of Agni's story.


	33. Suspicions

Sebastian returned to the mansion after a few hours of errands around London. He had failed in finding anything particularly useful but was well prepared to wear a smile about the house for Agni's benefit. He planned to enter through one of the servants' doors to make it look like he took a horse to the city instead of running. However, when he approached the side door he noticed a note tacked there. "Knock on front door" was written on the paper in Ciel's handwriting. Sebastian wondered for a second if that note was meant for him. He glanced about but none of the other servants were outside, it had to be for him. Sebastian took the paper off the door then walked around the house to the front entrance.

He rapped on the wood once and waited. The moment he saw Aliya's gloved hand on the door he guessed what was going on. Sure enough, the door swung open to reveal Aliya dressed like him. Sebastian raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the girl from head to toe. They had stolen a set of his clothes from his room, apparently. There were a few messy seams, no doubt it was mended to fit her in a hurry but overall the disguise wasn't bad. Her shoes were the worst part. Aliya just wore her own black pair because they were all that fit her. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, at least they hadn't cut it for the sake of this game.

"I'm here to speak with Master Phantomhive," Sebastian said, deciding to play along.

"Right this way, Mr. Michaelis, the master is expecting you," Aliya answered. Her words actually made Sebastian blink with surprise. He had no idea she could mimic his voice quite that well. Aliya ushered him inside and closed the door behind him. Sebastian watched her carefully but didn't see a flaw in her act thus far. Aliya led him through the front room.

"Ah, Mr. Michaelis," Ciel said once Sebastian entered the room. Soma sat with his back to the door so had to turn and look at the father and daughter enter. Between the prince and the earl was a table and board game. "Do sit down. Sebastian, bring Mr. Michaelis some tea." Aliya bowed properly without a word and exited the room. Sebastian watched her leave then looked at his master skeptically. How long was this charade going to last? Sebastian sat down as the earl suggested. He glanced to one of the side doors where Finny and Maylene were lurking. No doubt they all found this hilarious.

"Soma, it's your turn," Ciel said to get the prince's attention away from watching Sebastian. "Was your trip to London successful, Mr. Michaelis?" Ciel turned to Sebastian. The demon raised an eyebrow but Ciel's face gave nothing away. Apparently he was determined to play this little game.

"I am afraid not," he answered simply. Ciel gave a nod then returned to his board game. They would have to talk about Sebastian's errands later. Aliya reentered the room with tea. Sebastian also noticed that Bard and Tanaka joined the other two servants idling in the doorway.

"Sebastian, I want some tea, too," Soma said. Sebastian twitched at his name but didn't move.

"Of course your highness, but do remember that lunch will be served shortly," Aliya responded. Hearing something so akin to his own voice made Sebastian twitch a second time. Ciel noticed and smirked. Soma seemed to feel uncomfortable with his friend pretending to be someone he feared. He took the tea he requested from Aliya with a bit of apprehension but didn't loose his smile. "Can I get you anything else, Mr. Michaelis?" Aliya asked.

"No thank you." Sebastian looked in the girl's face but she returned his stare with a perfect mask. Ciel glanced between the two of them, apparently bored. He decided to take this game one step further.

"Sebastian," the boy said. Both the father and daughter looked at him. He picked up the tea cup Soma had set on the table and promptly turned it upside down. "There's tea on the floor." Sebastian reflexively sighed then quickly remembered that he wasn't himself at the moment. He glanced over to Aliya. The girl amazingly had a perfect imitation of his disapproving, yet outwardly polite, expression on her face. She swiftly moved to clean up the mess while keeping an underlying tone of exasperation in her motions. Ciel and Soma pretended to look at the game board but they both watched Aliya work out of the corner of their eyes. Sebastian studied her carefully, but she didn't break character for a moment.

As Aliya finished with the mess, Ciel spoke up. "I think that's enough, don't you, Sebastian?"

"Enough of what, Young Master?" Aliya responded in her deepened voice.

"This game," Ciel continued with a grin.

"Game?" Aliya wore an expression of perfect confusion. The four spying servants giggled amongst themselves.

"This is an order, go back to your normal self." At his words, the girl blinked. Her posture and entire body language changed in an instant. Aliya Michaelis stood in the room again, all trace of her act completely gone. She shrugged once as if dislodging a coat from her shoulders then grinned.

"How was that?" she addressed her triumphant question to the entire room.

"Scary," Soma answered immediately. The servants laughed.

"What did you think, Sebastian?" Ciel asked smugly. Sebastian stood up from his chair now that he was in his normal role once again.

"It seems that Aliya is a most impressive actress, Young Master," he answered in a calm tone of voice, refusing to be at all fazed by their little game.

"Heh, only when I have something to copy," Aliya beamed from ear to ear.

"I think she got your voice pitch perfect, don't you?" Ciel continued.

"Impressively so."

"And your mannerisms," the earl prodded.

"Yes."

"She's going to surpass you one day," Ciel smirked.

"No doubt," Sebastian answered simply. His master would not get an amusing reaction out of him if it could possibly be helped.

You should change clothes, Aliya," Soma didn't pay attention to Ciel and Sebastian's conversation. Instead he spoke with Aliya as the girl removed the gloves she wore.

"I will later," Aliya answered as she stuffed the gloves into the large pocket of her coat.

"Everything you are wearing is yours to keep," Ciel added.

"Even this?" Aliya retrieved the silver pocket watch from her coat and held it up.

"Yes, as a bonus for putting on a good act," the earl nodded. Aliya glanced to her father who wore an expression that showed he didn't care.

"Thank you," the girl said happily.

At that moment Agni joined everyone else in the room. "lunch is ready," he said cheerfully.

"Alright!" Soma, jumped up from his chair and hurried to the door. Ciel sent Sebastian a glance that said they would discuss important matters after eating then followed the prince out. Agni smiled once at Sebastian as a way of welcoming him home before he walked after the masters. Sebastian lingered a moment to speak with Aliya.

"I didn't realize you watched me so closely," he said with a smile.

"I can't help it," she shrugged.

"Good, being observant is the fastest way to learn. Now, go read something productive while I serve lunch and speak with the master," he instructed.

"Do you really not mind?" Aliya indicated the watch she still held.

"That is my only spare but it is simply a material item. Keep it if you want." With that, he headed to the dinning room.

Soma walked upstairs and scanned the hallway. Where had Aliya gone? He had gotten to talk with Ciel over lunch but then the earl locked himself in his study, insisting that he needed to speak with Sebastian about something important. Considering that Sebastian was there, Soma decided not to linger nearby and eavesdrop.

Agni was still cleaning up after the meal. Soma snorted, his butler was incredible but sometimes he was too nice for his own good. Sebastian could be doing the dishes right now if Agni hadn't volunteered. Hopefully Agni would be done soon. Until then he could play with Aliya more. With that goal in mind, Soma continued his search. She had to be around here somewhere. He had checked the library first but she wasn't there.

Aliya hadn't been what Soma had expected. He never got much time to talk with her the first time they met. Agni had described her as a tortured child who was trying to be happy. It seemed like Aliya really wanted Soma and Agni to like her. All morning, Aliya had clung to Soma. She kept giving him forlorn glances as if she were afraid that he could disappear the second she let go of his sleeve. The child of the frightening Sebastian or not, Soma couldn't help but like the girl.

Soma walked to the bathroom door. He should have checked for Aliya here sooner. He always did things like that. Soma knew that he had a bad habit of overlooking obvious things. Still, he knew he wasn't wrong in how he felt about Aliya, Ciel, or Sebastian. Why didn't Agni see how scary Sebastian was? Aliya had a bit of that aura too. Even Ciel's abnormalities seemed to come from that butler.

The prince tried to forget about that as he approached the bathroom. He sighed with disappointment when he saw that the door was ajar and the room was dark. Aliya clearly wasn't in there. He was about to turn around and look elsewhere when he heard the smallest sound come from the empty room. Soma paused and listened. He could faintly hear a noise that sounded almost like…ripping? But it wasn't cloth. What was that? Soma cautiously pushed the door open a bit farther so he could peer inside.

He could see Aliya standing in the center of the room. She had her left arm held up for her to look at. Her right hand seemed to be wrapping red cloth around her forearm. Then a drop of red liquid fell from her arm and made a plip sound as it landed in the bucket that was set on the edge of the bathtub. Only when he saw the blood, did Soma figure out what he was looking at. The ripping sound continued as Aliya pealed off the flesh of her arm. Her arm wasn't wrapped in red cloth, it was bloody and missing its skin. Aliya was skinning her own arm.

"Aliya!" Soma shoved the door open. The girl jumped with surprise as he burst in. In an instant, before Soma could take a step into the room, she assessed the situation and turned her back to him. Aliya dunked both of her arms into the bucket while hiding the sight from Soma with her body. "Aliya?" Soma took a cautious step forward.

"Hello, Soma," Aliya smiled at him over her shoulder. Her back still faced him and he couldn't see her arms.

"What are you doing? Why are you…" he tried to figure out what to say.

"Why am I what?" she tilted her head in an innocent fashion.

"Let me see your arm." Soma held out his hand. He needed to see the damage and help her bandage it.

"My arms? That is a strange request," Aliya said with a small blink. She obediently turned to face him and held out both of her arms to show him. Soma stared. Both of her sleeves were rolled up and forearms were wet with water but she wasn't injured at all. The prince grabbed her left arm and turned it over. Nothing. "Is something wrong?" Aliya asked. Soma looked into her face. She glanced to the side to avoid his gaze. She had to be lying.

"The water," Soma remembered. He reached for the bucket, there had to be blood mixed in with that water. Aliya beat him to it; the girl bumped the bucket with her elbow. The container immediately toppled over and its contents spilled down the bath tub's drain. Soma watched the liquid disappear but the light was too dim for him to see if there was blood or not. With that, all of the evidence he had was gone.

"I was just washing my hands," Aliya said as an explanation. She pulled down her sleeves and skipped over to the bathroom exit. "Let's go play some more."

"But…" Soma what he had just seen suddenly didn't seem possible.

"What?" Aliya blinked up at him.

"I saw…how did you…"

"Soma you're scaring me," Aliya said pitifully.

"I know what I saw! How…" Soma started to speak louder, determined to make her explain but her face made him stop. Aliya's expression looked extremely sad and scared. Even if he wanted to, Soma knew he wouldn't be able to demand an explanation from the girl. "Sorry, I just…" Soma glanced to the wall. It didn't make sense, was he seeing things? With effort he put on a smile. "Let's play a few rounds of Old Maid until Ciel gets done with work."

As Soma and Aliya went to play cards, Ciel's mood was turning foul. "Worthless bastard," he muttered under his breath as Sebastian explained the fruits, or lack there of, of his labor.

"Yes, I'm afraid he didn't have any information either."

"You know damn well who I'm talking about," Ciel glared daggers at his demon but didn't say anything else. The earl crossed his legs and turned away from his desk. "The angel has covered her tracks."

"I'm afraid so."

"Just shut up," Ciel growled and stared at the wall a moment to think. It was so hard to put together thoughts at the moment. This sleep deprivation was driving him nuts. "Forget London, we just need to protect Aliya. That's all that is important now. As long as she's with us the angel can't do anything except kill available sinners." Sebastian stayed obediently silent as Ciel thought. "Sebastian." Ciel decided to change the topic. "About Aliya, why is she so calm around Soma and Agni? She even let Soma put ribbons in her hair," he asked the question that had been bothering him all day.

"Aliya likes their pure souls. She is a lonely child," Sebastian said simply.

"She doesn't act this way around Lizzie," Ciel pointed out.

"Lady Elizabeth is female."

"Huh?"

"Before coming here the only influences in Aliya's life were those of her mother and Drocell. It is only natural that she is more comfortable around men than women."

"I suppose that makes sense," the earl muttered. With that settled he grabbed some papers and a pen. "I'm going to work for a few hours. Keep Soma out of my way."

Ciel successfully completed his paperwork in peace that afternoon. On the last few pages he was starting to doze off against his will. If he stayed sitting any longer he would fall asleep so he left his study once he was done. Ciel paused in the hallway right outside of his study door. It was surprisingly quiet. With Soma around he had expected someone to be making a ruckus instead the manor was eerily silent. Suddenly feeling lonely, Ciel hurried, without running, to the library. He had expected to find Aliya there; instead he heard Soma's voice as he neared room. The boy slowed his pace and peered into the open doorway.

The young earl was surprised to see Prince Soma and Agni standing in a corner of the library. The butler held up his hands in a calming gesture as Soma waved his arms about as if he was saying something important. What he was saying, Ciel had no idea. The prince babbled in a hushed tone completely in Hindi. Ciel lingered silently in the doorway and watched as Soma continued to argue emphatically. Agni sounded like he was trying to calm Soma down. Soma then said something and crossed his arms in a huff. Agni looked shocked and placed both hands on Soma's shoulders as if he were comforting the prince. Ciel pulled back from the doorway and out of their view. Something had obviously gotten Soma upset. Soma wasn't the kind of person to keep secrets. It would have to be something important if he was whispering to his butler in corners in a language his English hosts couldn't understand. Ciel walked away as quietly as he could, keeping in mind what Aliya had said about his being loud. If Soma was upset about something private, then he didn't need to eavesdrop and if it was something important then asking Sebastian about it would be a lot more productive than listening to their gibberish.

My prince, of course I trust you.

Then why won't you believe me?


	34. Hell Fire

"Sebastian."

"Yes, Young Master?" the butler looked up from cleaning.

"Soma and Agni are having a row in the library. Do you know what is it about?"

"Me, I'd assume," Sebastian sounded very calm as he continued to dust the shelves.

"What?" Ciel said in an icy tone.

"Soma is perceptive. He has guessed at my nature ever since you had me scare him straight," Sebastian continued in a completely neutral tone of voice.

"What? I thought he was just frightened of you," Ciel glared at his butler.

"That too," Sebastian smiled a little smugly. Ciel groaned and held his forehead. "In my experience the best thing to do is ignore any accusations. The only other solution is to kill them both. Not that it is a concern. Humans always prefer to deny the existence of my kind. A few suspicions from the prince will do no harm," he said calmly.

"What I just witnessed was more than a few suspicions, Sebastian." The man raised an eyebrow. "If you slipped up and let Soma see something…" Ciel said an open threat and sent a glare at his butler. He did not want Soma and Agni getting mixed up in his problems.

"Not I, my lord," Sebastian answered.

"Then…" Ciel started to say but paused as he realized what Sebastian meant.

"Aliya," Sebastian said forcefully but without much volume then made sure to finish dusting the shelf.

"Yes," Aliya almost made Ciel jump as she entered from the adjoining room. How did she hear her father say her name?

"Have you been hurting yourself again?" Sebastian fixed the girl with a stern stare. Aliya visibly stiffened.

"I haven't shot myself in over a week," Aliya answered and looked at the wall.

"That is not what I asked," Sebastian said harshly. "And now your bad habit has gone and caused trouble for everyone."

"What did Soma see you do?" Ciel snapped. The girl flinched at his nasty tone.

"He walked in while I was... looking at the muscles of my arm. I thought I bluffed my way out of it."

"This is the worst possible timing," Ciel growled and pressed his fingers to his temple. "It will be a pain if they turn against us. Sebastian, until further notice you are to do everything you can to seem human. Eat meals and actually go to bed at night, understood? "

"Is that really necessary?" Sebastian said with an unhappy sigh.

"It's your own fault for being perfect all the time. No wonder somebody noticed," the young earl retorted.

"It would seem odd if my behavior suddenly changed."

"Just keep them from finding out. I don't care how," the boy retorted then quickly added an amendment. "Within reason, of course. You aren't allowed to kill them."

"I wouldn't do that, Young Master. Mr. Agni is my friend," Sebastian smirked.

"Really?" Aliya looked at her father curiously.

"Aliya," Ciel quickly interjected before Sebastian could answer just in case Aliya wouldn't like the answer. "You need to act human too. And from now on you are never to hurt yourself again."

"What does that…" the girl started to say but the earl cut her off.

"Are you disobeying my order?" he glared at the girl. "Promise you will never hurt yourself again." Ciel fixed the girl with one of his commanding stares and ignored the fact that Sebastian looked ready to laugh.

"And I still think he couldn't have made curry as good as yours. Even if he had years to study, there is no way a human could match your divine curry without some help from a god," Soma continued ranting.

"That may have been my failing," Agni said shamefully.

"Nonsense! You're human he's not." Soma crossed his arms and pursed his lips in deep thought. Agni let out a tense breath. He couldn't argue, not only because Soma was his god but also because he had nothing to say. Agni had always known that there was something different about Sebastian but he certainly thought he was human. At least he did ten minutes ago. Sebastian was his friend, still, now he had doubts. Soma had a whole list of nearly impossible things he had seen Sebastian do. Agni himself has witnessed Sebastian leap out of the second story window at West's house while caring Prince Soma under one arm. It hadn't seemed unusual then but now that he thought about it… And Soma insisted that he saw Sebastian leap over a wall at least fifteen feet tall to enter the house. Agni could have achieved such a feat if necessary but Sebastian always seemed to do everything so easily. The more he thought about it, the more strange things he could recall Sebastian doing. His friend or not, something was strange about Sebastian.

"This is no good," Soma said angrily.

"No good?" Agni sheepishly repeated.

"Remember the first time we met them? You hit his marma multiple times and he kept fighting."

"Y…yes, I just never…" Agni blanched as he thought about that. He had indeed struck vital points on Sebastian's arm that should have left any human paralyzed. Why hadn't he remembered that sooner?

"That means he's really strong," Soma considered.

"My prince, I…" Agni paused. He thought back to the strange feeling he had that morning. That overwhelming sense of terror was so vivid but still seemed more like a dream then reality. What if it was real? And that strange shiver he had felt every time they walked about London in the past week. Agni had expected it was just a cold breeze but some part of his brain knew it wasn't. If he really thought it was nothing special he would have found it odd when Soma complained about London feeling creepy and deciding to stay inside. No, he had been ignoring things.

"Agni?" Soma looked up at him with concern.

"I've failed you. If Mr. Sebastian is something evil I should have noticed sooner. I can't protect you if…"

"Don't say that, Agni." Soma placed a hand on his servant's shoulder.

"I've let too many things go unnoticed," Agni muttered.

"Agni, I don't want you to beat yourself up. The strongest monsters are always the best at hiding themselves," Soma said forcefully. "We just need to find out what Sebastian is. If he's evil I need to know why Ciel and Aliya are with him."

"Do you think Aliya isn't his child?" Agni blinked.

"Humph. I all I know is she isn't evil. She doesn't look at Ciel like he's an idiot," Soma grumbled.

"What?"

"It was obvious when Aliya mimicked Sebastian this morning, didn't you see it?" the prince asked. Agni bit his lip. Soma re-crossed his arms. "I guess… if Sebastian is Aliya's father, he can't be all evil. Evil can't breed good, can it?"

"I have seen him express honest feelings for her," Agni said quietly.

"Either way, I don't like it. If Sebastian's not human that could mean Ciel's in danger. We can't let anything happen to Ciel, Agni!" Soma said with conviction. Agni nodded in solemn agreement. "Let's see, how can we…" Soma tried to think of a plan. Agni disrespectfully turned away from his prince, but only because he heard a noise outside the door.

"Lord Soma." He quickly held up a hand. The prince instantly went quiet. They had left the door ajar so that they could hear anyone that walked past. Sure enough, the sound of footsteps was coming close. The two Indians held their breath as a gloved hand pushed the wood open a bit further and Sebastian leaned his head in.

"Ah, there you are." The black clad butler smiled cheerfully. "The Young Master requests your presence."

"He does?" Soma asked in English.

"He wants your help testing the new products for the company."

"Really?" Soma suddenly glowed with pride. "Alright," he marched towards the hallway but slowed when he came closer to Sebastian. Agni quickly followed so Soma wouldn't be near Sebastian alone. Sebastian either didn't notice or didn't care and just walked ahead of them both. He led them to the room where Ciel, Aliya, and a mound of toys sat.

"Whoa, what's all this, Ciel?" Soma marveled.

"These are designs for new toys. They haven't been fully tested yet," Ciel explained. The earl stood off to the side, holding a few papers, as if getting too close to the mound of childhood glee would stain his image. Aliya, meanwhile, squatted on the ground to sort through the selection of stuffed animals.

"You want my help?" Soma approached the earl enthusiastically.

"I figured any toy that can withstand a few hours with you and Aliya, will be sturdy enough for any child to play with," Ciel said in a deadpan voice while he looked through the papers he held. Soma paused for a moment to register that statement. Rip.

"Oops." Everyone looked at Aliya. The girl held the top hat that used to be attached to the rabbit's head in one hand and the stuffed rabbit in the other.

"Just toss it over there." Ciel made a mark on his list to indicate that particular design had been rejected.

"Do the masters have any preference for dinner?" Sebastian asked as Aliya dropped the rabbit and hat into the discard pile.

"I don't care," Ciel answered without bothering to glance away from his paper.

"Hmmm… I haven't had curry in a while," Soma thought out loud.

"Curry?" Aliya perked up at that suggestion. "I've never tried that."

"You haven't? That's unacceptable. Make us curry for tonight!" Soma decided.

"Yay!" Aliya clapped her hands together in order to share Soma's enthusiasm. Ciel ignored them. Despite the disturbing conversation from moments ago, Agni couldn't help but grin at seeing his prince happy. This feeling of peace was short lived, unfortunately.

"What kind of curry would you fancy?" Sebastian asked. He didn't say it, but the underlying meaning was clearly _"my curry or Agni's?"_ Agni swallowed at the memories of the curry battle. Did Sebastian really defeat him because he wasn't a human?

"Mr. Agni," Aliya's high pitched voice surprised Agni.

"Yes?"

"Would you make us curry, please? If you don't mind that is. Its supposed to be rude to ask a guest to cook but you do all the other chores so…" she looked up at him with her hands still held together over her chest.

"If that is what you want, I'd be honored," Agni smiled.

"Thanks," Aliya grinned. Soma looked down at Aliya with an expression that said, _"See, I knew she wasn't evil"_

"I suppose we will require an Indian desert, as well," Sebastian considered.

"Yeah, Sebastian can do that. You two can cook together," Soma added a little awkwardly and gave Agni a meaningful look.

"Yes, certainly," Agni quickly said. Of course, Soma wanted him to keep an eye on Sebastian.

"Well, get to it," Ciel said irritably to dismiss the two butlers to the kitchen. "Soma try the ball and string game, would you?"

Soma spent perhaps five minutes focused on the toys before he couldn't wait any longer. "Ciel, where did you meet Sebastian?" the prince tried to ask in a carefree manner. He apparently failed because both Ciel and Aliya stopped what they were doing to stare at him. "I mean…uh" Soma stuttered as he tried to save the conversation.

Agni was having a similar problem in the kitchen. He watched Sebastian work out of the corner of his eye. It felt horribly rude to be questioning a friend's humanity but Soma was his god he shouldn't argue, especially when the prince had a valid concern.

"Something bothering you, Mr. Agni?" Sebastian's sudden question almost gave Agni a heart attack.

"No, no, it's nothing," Agni gave a tense smile. Aliya's words came back to haunt him at that moment. _"Doesn't sleep"_ she had said. Sebastian watched him with a calm and calculating stare. "When do you usually go to bed, Mr. Sebastian?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Very late. Sometimes I just doze in a chair before getting ready for the next day," Sebastian gave him a smile as if he knew every thought inside Agni's head. "I've never required much sleep." Agni just nodded lamely before quickly returning to his work. He managed to focus on the meal but still eyed Sebastian warily.

"Is it done yet?" Aliya poked her head into the kitchen some time later.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian addressed the girl without and real harshness in his tone.

"I'm hungry. Can I have my dinner before the masters today?" she asked expectantly.

"Your dinner?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Aliya pretended not to hear him.

"That smells so good. Must. Have. Some." The girl walked over to where Agni stood, monitoring the almost finished pot of curry.

"It will be done in a minute." Agni smiled kindly.

"Do something useful while you wait," Sebastian gestured to a stack of dirty dishes. Aliya got the drift and grabbed a towel.

"Is there enough for me to have two bowls?" she asked.

"Are you sure you will eat that much?" Agni checked.

"I'll make room." Aliya grinned. Her cheerfulness made Agni smile. Still, he didn't miss when Sebastian walked over to place another dirty dish in the sink and bent to whisper something in the girl's ear. The action was harmless enough but it put Agni on edge.

"Taking advantage of the Young Master's order are we?" Sebastian murmured to his daughter.

"Yes," she whispered triumphantly back as a smirk played on her face. Sebastian sighed disapprovingly before continuing with the meal perorations.

Aliya got her curry. As the masters ate in the dinning room, she sat cross-legged on the counter top with a bowl and spoon. Maylene and Bard worked around her and giggled about how she still hadn't changed out of her Sebastian attire. Aliya only got away with this until Sebastian re-entered the kitchen from serving dinner and ordered her down. After dinner, Sebastian made sure that the masters were content to sit and read in the library for a little while then sent Aliya to her room to change clothes and got himself something to eat. He would have preferred to clean the kitchen but instead shared Agni's company over a small dinner. Agni was surprised by Sebastian's sudden offer to sit with him but was no less polite or cheerful. Sebastian ate as little as possible because he hated having human food in his stomach, it always felt heavy and unpleasant. Agni felt extreme relief over seeing Sebastian do something normal so didn't notice the small size of his meal.

Everything proceeded calmly that evening. Soma and Agni were still on edge but had no solid evidence for the suspicions and were content to continue as if nothing was wrong. Aliya actually wore a dress and played chess with Soma as Ciel read a book. Sebastian organized the house while Agni watched the children and the human servants finished cleaning the kitchen. Life at the manor continued peacefully for a few hours until there was a knock at the front door. Sebastian promptly answered it and was just about to say something polite but stopped when he saw who it was.

"Oh my, this must be something important," he said instead.

"I'm not here because I want to be," William T. Spears grumbled and pushed his glasses further up his nose with his retractable spear.

"Of course, what do you need?" Sebastian asked, hoping to finish this business before someone else came to check the door.

"I think you know." He stood stone still on the front stoop.

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Vermin have spread their filth all over London." Will took a second to look positively annoyed.

"Ah that," Sebastian smiled. "I'm afraid I'm in no position to help. Best of luck." He started to close the door but Will stabbed the tip of his weapon into the wood.

"Turn yourself in at this time for everyone's convenience. We don't need the humans you associate with involved."

"Why, do you think I'm responsible for the state London is in?" Sebastian asked mockingly.

"We searched for all beings in the area that could pull this off. You are the only one on the list." Will fixed Sebastian with a glare.

"You shinigami are horrible at searching in that case. There is an angel leading the humans behind this. No doubt she is handing right under your noses."

"We have no evidence of that."

"Angels don't like to get their hands dirty. They are the ones who manipulate humans by the hundreds. If a demon was did this, there would be a great deal more chaos and bloodshed," Sebastian smirked which made Will glare harder. "Aside from that, how do you think I have managed to kill thousands of humans while living as a butler?"

"You demons always find a way. You are still our only suspect."

"Pity. Many more are dieing as you waste time here. I imagine you haven't been able to find the souls of the recently deceased."

"I'm here to ask you nicely once. You can talk to someone in the home office if you cooperate," said Will.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't leave my master's side. Send someone here if it is so important."

"I don't think you understand what I am saying, demon." William didn't get to finish because an explosion shook the house.

Sebastian abandoned the reaper at the door and ran to the source of the sound. He could smell smoke all of a sudden. A fire must have started while he spoke with Will. Wasn't that a nice coincidence? He yanked open the door to the cellar but flames leapt out and forced him to retreat several steps. His face stung with heat but the first degree burns didn't perturb him. Sebastian surveyed the flames licking out of the doorframe but quickly came to the conclusion that the situation was too far gone to stop. The gun powder and other explosives in the basement were now ablaze. He had taken care to store the extra weapons safely so someone must have gone to a bit of trouble to cause this fire.

Another, slightly smaller explosion rumbled beneath the floor. The manor house would become structurally unsound in a few minutes if it wasn't already. And, judging by the smoke he could smell, someone had also taken a match to Bard's explosives in the kitchen. Who ever the arsonist was he, or more likely she, had certainly gotten in and out of the house quickly. But right now he couldn't worry about that. Fire was creeping through the wooden supports of the lower floors and would soon bring the whole house down.

"Aliya!" Sebastian called. Black smoke billowed out of the cellar door. Red tentacles of flame slithered across the floor. The smell of ash was pervasive and had surly reached the other floors by now. All the members of the house would start running for their lives in a few seconds. Where was that girl? "Aliya!" He turned and called again, louder this time.

"Father!" The girl bolted towards him. Sebastian stooped and held out his hands for her. Aliya ran straight into his arms without slowing for an instant and her father scooped her up. Sebastian allowed himself to feel a moment of relief that the person who managed to get past him and start the fires hadn't also snatched the girl.

"How…" Aliya gripped Sebastian's shoulder as he held her.

"I don't know, yet. But finding out isn't my priority," Sebastian answered her unspoken question. The demon left the burning room and headed down one of the hallways. That part of the house wasn't surrounded in hot embers yet but the air shimmered with heat that would have affected anyone mortal.

"Ciel…" Aliya muttered.

"Is with Agni and will be safe for a few minutes," Sebastian explained. He trusted Agni to drag both Ciel and Soma out of the house which allowed him to focus on other matters. Sebastian walked swiftly to retrieve a few valuable contracts for the Young Master's business that weren't locked in a fire proof safe. He carried Aliya with one arm and collected the important papers with the other. Aliya stared with fascination as fire engulfed the entire wall. The girl had obviously been around flames before because she was holding her breath to avoid inhaling smoke. Most demons didn't learn that trick until after one unpleasant experience. Because he was in the room, Sebastian also took Ciel's revolver and handed that to Aliya to hold.

Popping sounds were starting to come from the walls and ceiling so Sebastian headed to the nearest window. Sebastian shattered the glass with a swift kick. He normally wouldn't bother but didn't want to risk upsetting Aliya further by cutting her with glass. Child clinging to him, Sebastian leapt from the burning house.


	35. Demons, Reapers, and Humans

**Seasnake: Ah, finally. I did not mean for this to take so long. Fight scenes apparently take me extra time to write. I'll be more prompt with the next chapter, promise.**

"Wait!" Ciel shouted. He had heard the explosion and could now smell smoke but that didn't mean… The mansion couldn't be on fire again. It just couldn't. "Put me down!" he ordered but was ignored. Ciel squirmed against the arm holding him. "I said put me down!" He was not being carried out of his house against his will. He was an earl, people followed his orders. This didn't happen to him anymore. "Let me go!" Those last words sounded more like a plead than a command. A part of Ciel's brain that wasn't overwhelmed by panic felt disgusted for begging like a child.

"Lord Ciel, we aren't safe yet." Ciel glared up at Agni who still held him off the ground despite his struggles. Ciel could feel the night air around him now and turned to stare at his mansion. The flames had almost completely claimed the bottom story of the house. Red light glowed from every window and even at this distance he could hear the structure starting to groan. Soma ran beside Agni as they moved away from the house. Ciel barely registered the prince was there. Bile rose in the boy's throat but he swallowed it back down. Everything was burning again. He squeezed his eye lids shut but could still feel the heat and smell the smoke. This didn't feel real. The fires from his recent nightmares. The smell of a hot metal poker burning his own flesh. It was too much.

"Sebastian!" He did the one thing his frantic mind could think of. "Sebastian!" Ciel yelled for the demon he had summoned to prevent this from happening again.

"Ciel, Ciel, it's alright," Soma was the one to respond to his panicked yelling.

"Put. Me. Down." The boy spat venous words at Agni. This time the man obeyed and carefully lowered him to the ground.

"Lord Ciel, I'm sorry. You weren't moving and…" Agni broke off as Ciel jerked away from him angrily.

"Ciel," Soma said reassuringly and tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ciel stepped back and viscously smacked Soma's hand away.

"Don't touch me," Ciel snapped. Without another word he turned away from the two Indians. Soma and Agni stood, shocked and hurt by the boy's actions.

"Young Master!" Finnian and Maylene came running towards them.

"Are you unhurt?" Agni quickly asked.

"I'm fine, I am."

"Yeah," they both confirmed.

"What happened? Something exploded," Soma spoke but scanned the front yard looking for everyone else instead of waiting for an answer. "Agni did you see where Aliya went?"

"What? You lost sight of Aliya!" Ciel rounded on the prince.

"She just…" Soma started to say but Ciel interrupted him.

"Sebastian!" he shouted again.

"I am here, my lord." Sebastian walked calmly towards the others. Ciel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw that Aliya was with him.

"Aliya, you scared me," Soma sighed when he saw the girl.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Hey! I need some help over here!" Bard's voice made everyone turn. The cook staggered towards the others while helping Tanaka walk upright.

"Tanaka!" Maylene and Finnian ran over to help support the older man.

"No, I'm alright." Tanaka managed to smile. "It's only my arm. I'll be fine." Fine wasn't a word to describe the condition of Tanaka's right hand and forearm. His skin was charred black and covered with blisters.

Sebastian looked ready to put Aliya down and go help but Agni beat him to it. "Sit down here," Agni instructed Tanaka to lean against the trunk of a tree. He very gently took the man's right arm to look at.

"Is it bad?" Soma peeked over Agni's shoulder. He then made a disgusted face at the severe burns and looked away.

"It's not fair you got hurt," Finny whined as he sat next to Tanaka. Maylene and Bard hovered nearby and Ciel just stood a few feet away from everyone else with his arms crossed.

"Will his fingers still function?" Sebastian addressed Agni. Aliya watched the whole scene silently from his shoulder.

"Yes, if he receives proper medical attention." Agni answered. He didn't have anything else to use as bandages so he unwrapped the cloth from his own hand to place carefully around Tanaka's. "This will only keep the wound from getting worse."

"I had a burn kit in the house," Bard muttered and lit a cigarette for himself.

"I see you managed to save a few things," Ciel commented darkly to Sebastian.

"It was the most I could do given the situation." Sebastian carefully placed the papers into a pile on the ground. He would probably need both hands free soon.

"Ciel," Aliya leaned over from her seat in Sebastian's arms to pass Ciel his revolver. The boy took it without a word.

"Did the rest of you take anything on the way out?" Sebastian asked the others. He made sure his tone didn't sound mean or accusatory if they had failed to do so.

"No," Finny shook his head sadly.

"I brought my rifle, I did," Maylene held up the weapon. She had saved it as part of an old sniper instinct to never leave one's weapon behind.

"Just what I happened to have with me," Bard pulled out a hand gun and a few ammo clips. "Nothing valuable."

"Maylene do you have ammunition?" Sebastian checked.

"Uh…a little," the maid stuttered.

"Why does that matter?" Ciel barely managed to keep his voice below a shout. His entire home was on fire and his fucking demon was worried about the servants being armed?

"I'm afraid we have company." Sebastian turned his back to the burning house and looked directly at a patch of shade. "As you can see we are a tad busy at the moment, perhaps you could come back later?" Everyone stared as William T. Spears took a few steps forward to be visible in the light of the fire.

"No," he answered bluntly.

"Spears? What are you doing here?" Ciel demanded.

"My superiors have business with your dog. He will come with me now." William pushed his glasses up his nose with his weapon. Soma, Agni, and the servants glanced about but didn't say anything.

"Who the hell are you calling a dog? You…" Aliya leaned forward angrily.

"Hush." Sebastian placed his free hand over her mouth before she could finish. William eyed Aliya but didn't comment. "Young Master, they blame me for the incidents in London."

"Are you out of your mind?" Ciel shouted furiously. He gestured at the burning house behind them. "Do you think Sebastian did that? And her? Don't you know what she is?" He pointed to Aliya. "We're under attack by the same person. If you want to catch her we should…"

"We don't believe in such things," William talked over the earl. Ciel glared dangerously at the reaper. William snapped his fingers once. The sound reverberated through the night air over the noise of the fire. A dozen more figures appeared behind William. "He has failed to cooperate, put him down like the vermin his is." He instructed the other shinigami. A collective gasp came from the humans who didn't understand what was going on. "No matter who gets involved," Spears added in a cold voice as he surveyed the humans and Aliya. The girl's mouth was still covered so she settled for making an obscene hand gesture.

"C…Ciel, who…what?" Soma found his voice before anyone else.

"They are here to kill me," Sebastian flashed smile over his shoulder at the humans.

"What!" Bard, Finny, and Maylene shouted in unison. Soma ducked behind Agni as the armed attackers suddenly formed a circle around the group. Ciel held a glaring match with William T. Spears.

"My orders haven't changed, Sebastian," he stated without breaking eye contact with the reaper.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed and set Aliya on the ground. The shinigami drew near with all their weapons held ready.

"Mister Sebastian," the servants looked about in distress. Tanaka still sat against the tree, feeling useless. Agni was counting the advancing enemies and taking stock of their weaponry.

"Listen all of you," Sebastian quickly addressed those on his side of the fight. "Our opponents will likely ignore you. Use that to your advantage. Aim for their lungs and heart, don't waste bullets on their brains." William broke his staring match with Ciel. He shot his spear out towards the demon. Sebastian sidestepped easily but the humans stared at the strange weapon with alarm. "Remove their heads from their shoulders if you can. Most of them are nearsighted without their glasses, aim for those as well." Sebastian didn't pause for a second. "Tanaka, kindly watch the Young Master. Finnian, don't hold back. Aliya, do not make yourself an easy target." A blond man holding a saw jumped forward to attack Sebastian. He blocked the reaper's wrist, so the weapon didn't even graze his skin, then easily kicked the man away. "Everyone watch out for their weapons. Any injury in the torso or head will be fatal, this goes for you too, Aliya."

"Just a scratch?" Aliya asked.

"Any gash in the abdomen or chest, or being decapitated is fatal," he clarified.

Before anyone else could say another word the reapers charged. Sebastian ran forward to meet them half-way so they wouldn't get too close to the children. He immediately ducked under one's wide swing and punched another. The ones on the far side of the circle took a few steps closer but seemed to ignore the humans and just watched their comrades fight Sebastian. The humans however, didn't ignore them.

"Go away!" Finny grabbed the nearest weapon, a cobblestone, from the ground and hefted it an enemy. The stone smashed into the woman's skull, causing her to fall over. Bard shot his hand gun straight into the chest of one blond man. Maylene pushed up her glasses and started to load her weapon.

"Agni," Soma glanced up at his butler who hadn't stepped away from his side. "Go help Sebastian. I'll watch Ciel and Aliya."

"Jo aagya." Agni nodded. He ran to the nearest reaper and struck him squarely in the jaw. Soma went to stand by Ciel. The young earl still stood with his arms crossed. Tanaka was on his feet but leaned against the tree while he kept an eye on the boy. Aliya watched her father and held her hand nervously by her mouth as if she were about to start biting her nails.

"Ciel, who are these guys?" Soma asked.

"Reapers," he said without emotion or further explanation.

"What?" Soma blinked. A man in a suit flew through the air only five feet away from the children before crashing into the ground and rolling across the grass. Soma jumped and whipped his head around to look at the fallen man, Aliya and Ciel didn't spare a glance.

"I'm going to fight," Aliya decided. She grabbed the top of her skirt and started to tear the fabric. She had her gray pants on but no extra top so the skirt had to go.

A sudden terrible scream caused everyone to freeze. They turned to watch as Bard hollered and jerked backwards a few paces. Luckily he managed to hold onto his manliness while still sounding completely terrified. "I just shot you!" He pointed accusingly at the man that was currently struggling to his feet.

"Ow, it hurts," the blond man leaned on the handle of his lawnmower to help stand. He coughed up a little blood and held the red spot on his suit with a wince. Aside from the pain he showed, he was very clearly not dead.

"How's he doing that?" Finny grabbed Bard's sleeve. Maylene was in her sniper mode so she just stared. Soma gaped with an open mouth and latched onto Ciel's shoulders. Whether this was for his protection or Ciel's was unclear. Even Agni paused to watch. The woman the Finny had smashed with a stone sat up and rubbed her head and the man with the lawnmower just continued to grimace and poke his chest.

"They aren't human. If you want to do any real damage," Sebastian took advantage of the intermission to catch an unsuspecting reaper in a headlock. "You must remove their limbs." For a visual aid he twisted the man's head completely around. The shinigami started moving again before the humans had time to register this news. Bard and Finny stood momentarily flustered until Maylene shot one through the heart.

"Human or not, they are trying to kill us," she said in a stony voice. Her words sobered the others. Bard gritted his teeth then took a step forward and cracked the reaper he had just shot in the face with his pistol. The young man yelped and fell down again.

"Mister Sebastian said not to hold back," Finny said mostly to himself as he picked up another rock.

Soma and Agni exchanged a glance. Agni made sure that Soma wanted him to continue fighting before he turned to aid Sebastian. Tanaka still stood against the tree, surprisingly unfazed by the whole situation. Ciel refused to change his expression and Aliya focused on ripping her skirt off. Agni kicked one of the reapers that tried to attack Sebastian from behind. He tried to stand by the Sebastian's side but the man was darting about staggeringly fast. Alarmingly, the inhuman blade wielders seemed to be just as fast as he was. Agni suddenly felt very concerned, he wasn't sure if he could keep up with this fight. Sebastian had beheaded one opponent, which Agni didn't necessarily agree with but he recognized this was a life or death situation and therefore wouldn't stop Sebastian from killing, but was staying just one dodge ahead of the men and women that swarmed around him. Agni had to wonder how long Sebastian could keep up with this many opponents.

"What are 'reapers'?" Soma asked. Ciel took a moment to come up with an answer that the Indian would understand.

"Beings who judge human souls before they enter the afterlife," he said concisely. Soma hardly had time to process that as a strange man charged their group.

"I'm going to cut you up!" Grell revved his chainsaw. Tanaka stepped forward before even Aliya could react but he needn't have bothered. A grip on the reaper's long hair stopped him before he reached the children.

"We do not harm humans that are not on our list," William lectured and gave an extra yank on Grell's hair for good measure.

"I was aiming for the half-breed brat!" he wailed.

"I was hoping to see you again." Aliya very calmly walked forward and kicked the reaper as hard as she could in the-place-you-don't-want-to-be-kicked. Grell crumpled over and Aliya was ready to take his head off. Fortunately, William came to his subordinate's aid. "You're willing to kill me?" Aliya protested as a jab from Will forced her to retreat backwards.

"Yes." William positioned his weapon as if to attack her again but never got a chance because a silver butter knife cleanly knocked his glasses off. Suddenly blinded, William didn't have time to dodge the malicious punch Aliya aimed at his face. As the reaper clutched his broken nose Aliya grabbed his weapon with both hands and turned it clockwise until his wrist snapped, forcing the man to let go.

"Hah! Got your weapon." Aliya twilled the spear in her palm.

"Filth." William grumbled as he reached inside his jacket pocket to retrieve both his extra pair of glasses and backup spear.

"Aliya!" Soma warned. The girl ducked as a man swiped at her with a long knife. Unperturbed by her evasion, the man stabbed again. Aliya held up her arm to block. Soma yelped but Aliya didn't blink as the blade plunged between her radius and ulna with a shower of blood that dotted her face red. She regarded the tip of the knife which had frozen less than a centimeter in front of her eye then smirked at the shinigami.

"Your blade is too short." Before he could pull away Aliya lunged. With a small grunt she rammed the spear that she still held in her left hand into the brown haired reaper's gut. A dull clicking sound and a white glow came from the stab wound. Confused, Aliya drew back. A filmstrip exploded from the reaper's abdomen and hovered in the air as the images started to slide into focus. "Whoa," Aliya breathed. The girl marveled at the cinematic record as if it were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Get away from him!" The blond man with a saw charged Aliya. She obediently backed away when he swung his death scythe at her. Aliya gone, the reaper supported his injured friend, who stood oddly frozen with both hands hovering near his stomach. A few others rushed to their comrade's side so Aliya continued walking backwards until she bumped into Soma.

"Aliya, your arm," the prince was mystified by the supernatural record but more concerned about his friend.

"Huh?" She glanced down at the knife that was embedded in her forearm to the hilt. "I forgot about that." She stabbed the spear into the dirt so it stood upright then carelessly yanked the knife out. Even with her long sleeves, Soma could see the wound start to heal. "I'm sorry, Soma," Aliya held out her arm to show him. "I didn't want you to… you deserve better than…" She bit her lip guiltily.

"I knew it," Soma blinked as the knife wound closed. The prince had no idea what to say but that hardly mattered as angry reapers turned on Aliya.

"Die, vermin!" The first reaper to come close was swiftly repelled by Tanaka. Ciel uncrossed his arms in favor of his revolver now that some reapers had taken notice of them.

"Get out of our way," one reaper snapped at Tanaka. Soma wrapped his arms around Aliya protectively when he saw all the murderous stares she was getting.

"Hmph, do you even know what you're guarding?" Grell had finished throwing up in the bushes and now joined the Murder Aliya Party. He held his chainsaw in one hand and regarded the humans, especially Soma and Tanaka, with an exasperated look.

"I protect Master Ciel and his companions," Tanaka answered calmly.

"That's a dumb question," Soma smiled. "I'm guarding my friends."

"Soma," Aliya gazed up at him.

"You're…" Grell started to say something in a haughty tone of voice. He was interrupted by Ciel shooting him in the face. Ciel watched Grell's head explode and his body hit the ground with deep satisfaction.

"I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian and Aliya Michaelis belong to me. I don't care who or what you are, I will not tolerate anyone threatening my possessions." His chilling words froze all the nearby reapers in place, except for one.

"Brave words," William T. Spears adjusted his glasses and met the thirteen year old's icy stare. "Can you enforce them?"


	36. Lost

In the light from the burning mansion, Agni could see the standoff between William and Ciel. That man was obviously the leader of these beings. At least, Agni didn't have to worry about his prince in this battle. Agni had been fighting for several minutes but the reapers continued to carefully dance around him. It seemed they were very serious about leaving anyone other than Sebastian and Aliya unharmed. As for the father and daughter… Agni had seen the cinematic record come out of the one man. At that time Aliya was injured but when Agni looked back she was holding the knife and no longer bleeding. Agni muttered a prayer for forgiveness for ever doubting his god. Sebastian and Aliya weren't human but they were still their friends. Soma held Aliya in a protective hug as the reapers crowded around them.

Agni considered going over to help his prince guard Aliya and Ciel. Then again, the reapers were still mostly converging on Sebastian even though more were starting to notice Aliya or make moves to incapacitate the humans. Sebastian was the strongest but also in the most danger. Agni decided he would be most useful where he was so aimed a punch at the nearest reaper. The dark haired man ducked Agni's blow with superhuman speed. He gave Agni a disapproving look but didn't move to strike back. Agni took this opportunity to kick him.

The manor servants were being kept busy and hadn't noticed Aliya's injury or the cinematic record. The one blond man continued to be mercilessly pummeled by Bard who kept shouting at him to "stay the hell down". A female reaper came up behind the man tried to wrestle him into an arm lock. Her plan failed and now Bard kept two shinigami at bay. Four reapers tried to work together to bring down Finny without hurting the boy. Finny had plenty of stones and statures to throw so his opponents were getting nowhere fast. Maylene was being largely ignored with the hopes she would soon run out of bullets. That didn't stop the woman from stabbing and/or bludgeoning anyone who came to close to her.

Ciel still stood facing William as a reaper jumped Soma and Aliya from behind. Suddenly showing that he could defend himself, Soma whipped around and struck the man in the throat without even pausing to think. Aliya didn't waste his assistance and promptly used her borrowed knife to slice open his chest.

"What is that?" Soma gazed at the cinematic record that erupted from the wound.

"The story of his life, I think," Aliya watched with equal awe. Two more shinigami rushed forward to pull their injured friend out of Aliya's reach.

"You shot me! In the face!" Grell sat up and pointed an accusatory finger at Ciel. The earl didn't even dignify him with a response.

"Forget her," William snapped at the reapers who continued to circle Aliya and Soma. "Focus on the target." He turned to head in Sebastian's direction without a second glance at Ciel. Aliya made a move to attack him but Soma held her back.

"But…" Grell whined. Will unkindly shoved him in the proper direction with his foot.

"I need to help, Father," Aliya gave the prince a distressed look. She could have easily overpowered him if she wanted to but chose not to squirm in his grip.

"Agni's helping," Soma nodded to their left where Sebastian and Agni were fending off the reapers.

"That's not enough. If Father dies I'll…" Aliya bit her lip. Soma looked sympathetic but didn't know what to say so stayed quiet. The girl gritted her teeth angrily and fiddled with the knife she held.

Agni knew this was not going well. He hadn't done serious damage to any of the attackers. He struck their marma but they only flinched or became numb for less than a minute before they were back on their feet. If he tried, Agni could kill them but he didn't want to resort to that. Meanwhile, Sebastian had beheaded three and sliced off perhaps four people's arms. Like Aliya, he kept using weapons against their owners. It wasn't enough, though.

Two men moved to attack Sebastian while he was avoiding the woman in front of him. The men raised their weapons to swing simultaneously. Agni could tell that Sebastian wouldn't be able to dodge. Without thinking, the human intercepted the onslaught. He jumped in front and deflected one blade which carved a gash in his arm that he didn't even feel. The other reaper was forced to halt mid-swing as Agni got in his way. Sebastian took advantage of this and ducked around Agni. He sliced both the men in half with a barrowed sickle before they could blink. The woman who had been chasing Sebastian froze with momentary confusion as a human appeared between her and her target. Agni hit the woman in the shoulder. Her arm went numb and she dropped her naginata to the grass. She hastily retreated several yards before Sebastian could dispose of her as well.

"You're very useful in this battle, Mr. Agni." Sebastian rose from his coaching position and took advantage of the slight lull in combat to speak. "But do be more careful, won't you?" He eyed the shallow cut on the man's arm. Agni didn't want to study the two disemboweled corpses so instead looked at Sebastian's face. This turned out to be the much worse option. Sebastian's eyes glowed a deeper red than the fire light they stood in, his pupils were slits, blood splattered his clothing and his white gloves were now died crimson, but there wasn't a single drop on his face as if he had to power to carefully avoid getting dirty. The aura of control and power that the man normally exuded had suddenly been amplified from that of a strong human to something terrifying. His handsome face hadn't changed but everything about him was off, too carefully placed, poised as if ready to move but very calmly holding himself back.

"What…are you?" Agni chocked out on reflex, before he could think better of asking such a question. Sebastian delicately raised an eyebrow at the question. Ever so slightly the corners of his mouth turned up to show his amusement. The small grin on his thin lips shouldn't have been creepy but it was. A glimpse past a carefully crafted mask, a hint at the predator in human guise, and the sight chilled Agni to the bone. He reflexively backed up half a step and held his hand over his mouth in trepidation. Sebastian smirked at the taller man's reaction but didn't make any motions to scare him further.

A faint whooshing sound was the only warning to announce William's incoming attack and the interruption to their conversation. This time Sebastian took a different strategy, he literally hid behind Agni to avoid the retractable spear. Will glowered at Agni as if it were some how his that Sebastian was using him as a very effective shield. Agni glanced over his shoulder to see Sebastian smirking with mild amusement as he stood behind him. "Try to stay close," he instructed the human then dove to the left and flung a handful of knives at the reapers.

"Sebe!" Grell came out of nowhere. Sebastian barely caught his chainsaw with the sickle. "An angel, Sebe? Do you realize how jealous that makes me? If it's the white clothes that turn you on, I could…"

"You're disgusting." He kicked Grell in the stomach which, sadly, wasn't a fatal blow but earned him some breathing room.

"Ciel, I should fight," Aliya turned her appeals to the young earl.

"Stay," he answered flatly.

"I can fly, they won't hurt me," she insisted.

"Fly?" Soma blinked. As an answer, she popped her shoulders forward and unfurled her impressive wings from her back. "Whoa, are those real?" The prince tentatively reached out a hand to touch the gray feathers. With Soma distracted, Aliya addressed Ciel again.

"Fine. I'll do as you say and stand her like a coward." The boy flashed her a glare for implying that he was also being a coward. "But if Father dies…" She held out the knife, hilt first, towards Ciel. "I don't have the proper leverage to cut off my own head."

"You think that will solve anything?" he snapped, angrily. "She will go into hiding until she can create another creature. It would be decades before anyone could find her again."

"I don't care! I'm not going back to my mother, Ciel."

"Now who's the coward?" He fixed the girl with a stare. Aliya gave a frustrated growl but withdrew the knife.

"What are you shouting about?" Soma glanced away from running his fingers through Aliya's feathers to look at the children.

"Nothing," Aliya instantly lied. Ciel ignored the question. Soma didn't seem to believe it but didn't ask. He instead plucked a single feather from Aliya's wing. "Ow! I can feel that." She flinched away from his touch. Soma twirled the long, monochromatic feather between his thumb and forefinger.

"This is different from a bird's feather," he commented. He seemed completely distracted from the fact they were in a desperate battle.

"I wouldn't know," Aliya turned sideways so he no longer had easy access to her wings. Ciel had already spent plenty of time marveling at the girl's feathers so looked back at Sebastian.

Shinigami were ganging up on the demon again. Grell wanted to get in on the action but Agni had recognized he was a particularly nasty reaper and refused to let him get close to Sebastian, much to Grell's chagrin. Sebastian concentrated on avoiding the death scythes and watching for any opportunity to counter attack. He had to be careful; dodging one blow could easily make him a target for another. He flicked a knife at one bespectacled reaper. The young man failed to block and lost his eyewear. Sebastian tried to decapitate him with the sickle but another reaper dashed forward. Sebastian was forced to abandon the stolen sickle in order to keep his hand.

The obnoxious naginata woman had retrieved her weapon and came at him again. Sebastian hastily preformed a backflip to avoid her arching swing. He barely landed on his feet when he noticed William lucking in wait. Damn.

"Sebastian!" Ciel's shout made everyone freeze. Sebastian stood motionless as a cinematic record floated out of the wound in his lower back. William T. Spears wore a very satisfied expression and smugly readjusted his glasses. For a moment of utter silence there was only the clicking sound of Sebastian's life record and the roar of the blaze behind them. This quiet lasted only a second however, because Agni noticed movement on the otherwise still battle ground. One reaper wasn't paying attention to the fallen demon. She instead headed straight for the children. Somehow, Agni knew she was dangerous. Without a second though, he bolted past his injured friend to protect his prince.

Agni wasn't the only one to see the woman's advance. Tanaka stepped forward to stop her from reaching Ciel. The elderly man barely moved before the reaper plunged her sword through his abdomen. "Wha-?" Ciel jerked his gaze away from Sebastian. The boy almost screamed when he saw Tanaka skewered by a bloody blade through his chest. The reaper tossed the limp man and her weapon aside without waiting for his cinematic record to materialize. Ciel stood like a statue as the woman descended upon him. She reached for him but didn't make it. Agni's well aimed fist collided with the side of her head. The man skidded to a halt as the reaper woman crashed to the ground. He dropped into a hasty fighting stance and didn't let his eyes waver from the woman's form, not even to check on Soma. Agni had felt her skull crack under his fist but he knew she wasn't dead. It was probably only a matter of seconds before she would be on her feet again.

Ciel and Soma were in a confused daze as their minds tried to catch up with everything they were seeing. Aliya, however, had a brain designed to move and think faster. She could feel her body shaking; there was no doubt who that woman was. All the reapers stood still as they tried to figure out what was going on. They didn't seem to sense her holly power underneath her disguise. Father was incapacitated. Tanaka lay unmoving. Could Agni hold her off until the reapers decided to help? Aliya knew she couldn't win against her mother, even with a barrowed death scythe. Ciel and Soma were…right in harms way. Mother would kill them. Aliya dropped her knife to grab Ciel's jacket collar and pull him towards her protectively.

After only a moment to recuperate, Ariel leapt from the ground to attack. Agni anticipated her movement and managed to block her jab at his face. The hat she wore to hide her hair had fallen off and veil of gold flowed around her head as she moved. She glared at the man for daring to get in her way then pulled back. Agni didn't even consider attempting a counter strike he just tensed to receive her next blow. In a fair fight, Agni could hold his own and the angel knew it. In order to remedy the situation, her white wings spread from her back. The reapers all suddenly started to get a clue and glance among themselves but they didn't have time to act. Agni didn't even twitch when her wings appeared or when she started to scream. The angel threw back her head and let out an inhuman cry. Her wings began to pulsate with blinding light.

Only one person recognized what she was doing. "Get down!" Aliya screamed. She tightened her grip on Ciel's jacket and spun around to latch onto the front of Soma's shirt, dragging the earl along by the neck. Ciel gagged and Soma stared at her but couldn't say anything before she hefted each boy in the air with one hand. "Go!" Aliya gave a rather pointless instruction considering neither boy had contact with the ground. She hauled them both as hard as she could away from her mother. Before Ceil and Soma even hit the grass, Ariel exploded. Daggers of white light shot from her wings in all directions. The nearby reapers yelped and threw their arms in front of their faces. It looked like Agni managed to shield himself at least a little bit as the darts of holy light stabbed into him. Exactly what happened was impossible to see as the light of a small sun forced everyone to look away.

Aliya blinked the daze from her eyes only to see her mother's face looming above her. The girl gasped but the sound died in her throat when the angel's fingers curled around her trachea. The girl tried to jerk away but Ariel's other hand latched onto one of her wings.

"Ah!" one reaper made a surprised sound as he suddenly found himself hastily pushed to the side. Sebastian was on his feet and shoved the useless shinigami between him and Aliya out of the way. Ariel paid him no mind and burst into the air with Aliya securely in her clutches. Sebastian coiled into a crouched position then leapt upwards and disappeared in a shower of black feathers.


	37. Truths

**Seasnake: Darn, this took me a few days longer to write than I wanted it to. My apologies to anyone who was waiting for an update. **

**Just so everyone knows, I won't be posting any new chapters after this one until the holidays are over. Even if I have time to write a new chapter I won't post it until sometime after new years. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Silence reigned over the manor grounds for a second time in the last minute. The only sound game from Ciel and Soma's moans as they carefully righted themselves from where they had unceremoniously landed in the dirt. The instant he had his bearings, the prince looked around for his butler.

"Agni!" Soma struggled to his feet. Agni lay on the ground, red stains covering his clothes. "Agni!"

"I'm all right," he managed to say reassuringly. The man pushed himself up slightly as Soma ran to his side. Ciel was fully aware of everything that was going on but was forced to continue chocking in a very unearl-like manner. He wheezed and rubbed his bruised neck as he slowly sat up. Under any other circumstances, he would have felt pissed for being treated in such a manner.

"Young Master!" The three servants hurried towards Ciel.

"What's going on?" Bard wondered. Finny slowly turned his head from side to side as if an explanation might materialize.

"Damn it," William grumbled and pushed his glasses up his nose. The reapers all looked to him for some sort of explanation.

"You…" Ciel tried to speak but his voice was too hoarse. He cleared his throat then tried again. "That is the common enemy I mentioned earlier. You better hope Sebastian can get Aliya back. If he fails we are all as good as dead," he said with surprising calmness. William and the other reapers chose stony silence as their response. Maylenne, still quiet, briskly walked over and helped her master off the ground.

"What?" Soma asked nervously. The prince looked at Ciel but didn't pause untying his belt.

"Tanaka!" Finny screamed when he saw the man and buried his face in Bard's apron so he didn't have to look.

"Oh, yes," William muttered. Without any visible concern, the reaper strode to the limp man. He made sure to pull a handkerchief out of his pocket and use it to protect his hand from touching the sword hilt as he carefully grasped it. "It's not your time yet," Spears said in an official voice then jerked the sword out. With a strangled gasp for air, Tanaka jolted back into life. The man took a moment to writhe on the ground in understandable shock and pain.

"Whoa," Bard carefully approached him. "Are you…alive?"

Tanaka looked down at the gash in his suit and the copious amount of blood around him. "Yes. I am," he said as if he couldn't' believe it himself.

"Be thankful she left the blade in," William stated dryly. He held out the bloody sword to one of his underlings who took it without a word.

Ciel heard a rustling from the nearby grove of trees and turned to look. He hoped to see Aliya but only shadows stirred. In the patches of firelight between the trees he caught a glimpse of a black boot he recognized from three years ago. Ciel quickly adverted his eyes, he didn't need to see more than that. By the time he reached the edge of the shade caused by the trees, Sebastian had returned to human from. There was no sign of Aliya.

Without so much as a pause or a glance at his master, Sebastian strode straight up to William T. Spears. Ciel felt a strange twinge of pain in his right eye as the demon appeared. Everyone else watched with wide eyes as Sebastian grabbed the front of William's suit in a threatening gesture. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" his voice was deathly slow and menacing. Sebastian barely looked human. His eyes were ablaze. The air around him shimmered as if with heat. The outline of his body fluctuated and his whole being was out of focus. It seemed as if he were on the verge of changing shape and just barely clinging to his human from. Whatever furious aura Sebastian gave off made the contract symbol on his master's eye throb.

"Vaguely," William answered calmly. Sebastian seethed with tangible rage and looked a breath away from murdering anyone he could get his hands on. In three years Ciel had never seen the demon this angry.

"Sebastian!" Ciel shouted to get his attention. The demon regarded the distraught boy, holding a hand over his right eye. Ciel didn't have to say anything else to make his order clear. Sebastian visibly relaxed in response to the silent command. With a long exhale of breath his appearance solidified and the air stopped shimmering around him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he forced himself calm. When he opened them again his pupils were rounded. The aching pain in Ciel's eye instantly stopped. "My apologies," Sebastian said stiffly to Ciel and released William's collar. "Are you unhurt?"

"Bruised is all," the boy rubbed his neck in response. Sebastian scanned the other servants but didn't feel the need to ask them directly. With his mandatory duties fulfilled, Sebastian turned his gaze to Agni and Soma.

Not bothering to give a backwards glance at the reaper who readjusted his jacket, Sebastian walked over to the prince and his butler. By the time he closed the small distance between them he had removed his coat and was ripping it into strips.

"May I?" he addressed Soma in an emotionless voice. The prince stared up at him with a puzzled expression for a moment.

"What? … Oh! Yes, help him." Soma hastily moved out of the way. Agni was bleeding so the prince could care less about Sebastian's humanity at the moment.

"Report to head quarters," William snapped at the naginata woman. She nodded respectfully then disappeared.

"I'm fine," Agni softly protested as Sebastian knelt beside him. There were several red gashes on the man's back and sides, a few shallow cuts on his legs, one on his forearm that now had Soma's belt wrapped around it, and a particularly deep on his left shoulder that Agni held the cloth from his turban over but continued to seep blood. Sebastian didn't respond to Agni's words but didn't act disrespectfully either. With a nearly uncharacteristic amount of kindness in his movements, Sebastian briskly secured the makeshift bandages to stop the bleeding. He accurately tied the knots faster than a mortal could, not bothering to hold back his superhuman dexterity. The human servants still stood about in a confused daze and Soma sat on the ground, intently watching Sebastian patch up Agni.

"Your right arm shielded you against the angel's attack," Sebastian remarked in a voice void of emotion.

"Yes," Agni answered in the only way that came to mind. He sat still and let Sebastian work.

"If you want to make yourselves useful," Sebastian gave the reapers a disapproving glance as he secured a strip of black wool around Agni's torso. "Fetch several high quality human firearms, ammunition for said weapons, a bucket of ice, two towels, a sterile surgical needle and thread, clean water, ample bandages, a burn kit, a change of clothes for Mr. Agni and Mr. Tanaka, an oil lamp or a few candles, and two or three chairs."

After a moment of pointed silence, William looked over his shoulder at a group of three reapers. "Go."

"Really?" one asked.

"Just do it," Spears ordered. The three reapers grudgingly jogged away from the gathering and into the dark night.

"I'll help!" Grell offered and ran after them.

"Sebastian," Ciel nodded towards the burning house. "Can't you do something about that?" The manor had already lost one wall and the rest of the structure was groaning and ready to collapse.

"I could, but I would prefer to not waste energy on pointless tasks before I have to kill an opponent like Ariel." Agni grimaced as Sebastian tightened a knot over his bleeding shoulder.

"Ariel?" Bard repeated.

"What happened to Aliya?" Finny asked as he vainly scanned the yard for her.

"I'll explain later," Ciel answered curtly then turned toSpears. "Put out the fire. It's the least you can do."

"Do it," Will barked at a cluster of shinigami. They grumbled a little then headed towards the house.

"On your feet, Mr. Agni." Sebastian held the man's arm and helped him stand. Soma put a hand on his butler's shoulder and Agni gave him a comforting smile.

"We are going back to Headquarters. I'll send someone to inform you once we've found her," William declared.

"You won't be able to," said Sebastian.

"Apologies for the trouble," William gave a quick bow to Ciel, ignoring Sebastian entirely, and then led the remaining reapers out of view. The light from the fire started to dim as the shinigami quelled the flames.

"I've got the ice and the towels!" Grell announced cheerfully. He came bounding back towards the group, caring a bucket in both hands. He stopped right in front of the demon with a never ceasing grin. Sebastian wordlessly swiped the items out of Grell's hands and walked to Ciel. He set the bucket down and twisted the towels into a makeshift ice pack.

"Hold this on your neck," he instructed Ciel, still not bothering with any manner of niceties.

"They got that done quickly, they did," Maylene put her glasses back on and marveled at the smoking manor house. The fire light smoldered out, leavening them all standing in the near pitch darkness of the starless night.

"Search the ashes for anything useful," Sebastian ordered the three servants.

"But…" Finny muttered, clearly wanting an explanation for everything they had just seen.

"A supernatural creature, similar to the beings we just fought has taken Aliya. We will get her back shortly. Now go scavenge," Ciel briefly explained in his most commanding voice. The servants stared at him in awe for a moment.

"W…what?" They started to question but Ciel fixed them with a glare that sent them scurrying towards the wreckage of the house.

"Tanaka…" Ciel turned to address the man.

"Mr. Tanaka is already fully aware of the situation," Sebastian interrupted.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Tanaka sighed with evident shame.

"Um…" Soma tried to enter the conversation but couldn't find words.

"Put them there," Sebastian suddenly addressed the two reapers who appeared with a matching set of small wooden chairs. They obediently set the pieces of furniture on the grass and left. Sebastian motioned for Ciel and Agni to take the chairs. Ciel didn't hesitate but Agni shook his head and looked ready to let Soma sit down. "You need stitches. Sit." Agni sat and Soma stood in front of Ciel. A third reaper darted from the trees, meekly set a lit candle down on the ground between the chairs and bolted away again.

"Ciel, tell me what's going on," the prince all but pleaded. Ciel sighed and readjusted the cold towels on his neck while he thought up an answer. Sebastian beat him to it.

"I've never traveled to India. But from what I understand of your religion, I would be called a rakshasa." Both Soma and Agni jerked their heads to stare at him. That word clearly meant something to them. "The English refer to me as a demon or devil," Sebastian finished calmly.

"R…rakshasa?" Soma stammered as he stared at Sebastian then promptly rounded on Ciel. "Ciel, you let him into your house?"

"He's under my control," the boy said plainly.

"What? How?" Soma continued to question. Ciel opened his mouth to answer but froze when he suddenly felt Sebastian touch his head. The demon pulled the eye patch off his face without any sort of warning.

"Hey!" Ciel threw a hand over his eye but not before everyone caught a glimpse of the contract symbol. Sebastian didn't even look satisfied with himself as he stood next to Ciel's chair, holding the boy's eye patch in his bare left hand. Soma and Agni stared at the pentagram Sebastian didn't bother to hide.

"We have a contract," Sebastian answered simply. "In exchange for my services…"

"This is an order, shut up!" Ciel shouted. The demon obediently fell silent.

"…Agni, is a demon or a devil a bad thing?" Soma glanced at his butler.

"A devil is supposed to be an embodiment of evil," Agni tried to remember. Ciel snatched is eye patch back from Sebastian.

"So, you are evil!" Ciel groaned at Soma's shout and looked away from the prince.

"You knew about this?" the earl addressed Tanaka.

"Not until recently. Lord Ciel, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Tanaka sounded broken.

"Contract?" Soma repeated. "An agreement?" He considered that over for a second then a thought suddenly clicked. "Ciel!" the prince lunged forward to grab both his shoulders. "He's not going to eat you, is he?"

"What?" Ciel managed to hang onto his composure despite Soma's outburst. "What gave you that idea?" he tried to sound dismissive.

"Evil rakshasas eat human flesh," Soma stared at Ciel with genuine concern.

"Sebastian is not going to eat me," he scoffed and pushed Soma away. Sebastian raised an eyebrow but didn't otherwise comment. Tanaka continued to stand off to the side and hang his head in shame.

"Then how do you control him? Rakshasa don't normally…"

"Listen! As long as I have this," Ciel lifted his eyelid to reveal his half of the contract mark, "he must obey me. Don't concern yourself with the why," he said in order to make Soma leave the topic alone. The prince gaped at the strange symbol for a moment then remembered something else he needed to ask.

"What about Aliya?"

"She was created through a ritual using Sebastian's blood. That was her mother you just saw. Her name is Ariel, she's an angel, a creature similar to what Sebastian is. She plans to use Aliya's power to destroy the Earth and make herself into a god," Ciel recited. It all sounded a little silly when said that way. But at least Soma and Agni would understand the situation, it wasn't that far off from the stories Agni told.

"Medical supplies and clothes," the reapers reappeared.

"Here," one young man handed a folded suit to Tanaka, "this should fit."

"Thank you," Tanaka took it politely.

"Burn kit, bandages, water, and surgical needle," another reaper gave Sebastian a small bundle of things and a canteen of water.

"Um…" Knox, the blond man with the lawnmower, still wore his cracked glasses that Bard had broken in the fight. He sheepishly held out a black garment to Sebastian. "It was the largest shirt we could find. It will probably fit him." The demon didn't change his expression in the slightest, hadn't since he had finished his death threat to Spears. But he still gave the blond reaper a look that sent the young man peddling backwards as fast as he could manage.

Ciel sat in his chair with his arms defiantly crossed. He didn't put his eye patch back on, mostly because he usually didn't tie it himself and would have to fumble with it. Once the shinigami had retreated, Sebastian tapped the back of the chair to get Ciel's attention. With the earl watching, he pointed to his mouth. This got Soma and Agni's attention. They had assumed that Sebastian followed orders out of a sense of commitment like Agni did, but this made it seem like he physically couldn't disobey. Ciel purposely made him weight several seconds in silence before speaking. "Fine," he grumbled.

"I need to stitch Mr. Agni's injuries. I doubt any of you want to see the blood so we will be a few yards in that direction," he pointed. The masters didn't object so Agni got to his feet and Sebastian picked up the chair. "We will still be within shouting distance. You should take this opportunity to ask Mr. Tanaka why he set fire to the house," he added callously as he walked a short distance away.

"What?" Ciel turned to Tanaka with disbelief.

"I am so sorry. My injury…it was a curse. For these past three years I've barely been able to control myself. Lord Ciel, I…" Tanaka stopped himself before he began to ramble.

"The angel, cursed you?" the boy's voice was almost as devoid of emotion as Sebastian's.

"I never would have left alone you like I did all this time. I simply couldn't …" the man failed to find any words to express his guilt. "Then today, I could see what I was doing but I couldn't stop myself anymore than I've been able to stay in my true appearance." Ciel turned his face away, Tanaka in his normal appearance suddenly reminded him of his childhood and he didn't want to think of that right now, not with everything on the line.

"Don't mope about it," he answered stiffly without looking at Tanaka. "Is your curse gone now?"

"I feel better than I have in three years, sir." Ciel relaxed slightly when he heard that. Soma gave Ciel a friendly, sympathetic look that showed he understood Ciel's discomfort. The earl turned his gaze away from that as well.

"I have to cut your shirt," Sebatain stated dryly as he dropped the chair to the grass. They could still see the masters and Tanaka around the candle but were far enough away to make eavesdropping difficult. Agni nodded and sat down in the chair sideways so Sebastian could reach his back.

"Do you need a light?" he could guess the answer but asked anyway.

"No." Sebastian searched through the small parcel to find what he needed. Agni could make out his outline but not much else in the dim light. He wasn't sure if this made him uneasy or grateful.

A rakshasa? Rakshasas were deceivers, illusionists, and shapechangers, he could picture Sebastian as one. There were a few kind hearted rakshasas, the race wasn't inherently wicked. But a devil was a bad thing. And why was he with Ciel? Had he been tricked into entering a contract with the boy? Agni wanted to know but didn't dare ask. That information wasn't for his ears. Was Sebastian still to be considered a friend? Agni didn't know. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind. His loyalties were to Lord Soma. If Soma ordered him to fight Sebastian, he wouldn't hesitate. And right now they were on the same side, regardless of whether Sebastian was evil or not. He didn't doubt for a moment that the white winged woman planned to destroy the world. If Aliya was some sort of key part of that plan, it explained a few things in his mind. He could worry about Sebastian being a friend or enemy once everyone was safe.

Sebastian's sigh pulled Agni out of his thoughts. "I should have asked for some manner of pain killers."

"I don't need any," Agni quickly answered. He jabbed his thumb into a nerve cluster on his neck tilted his head sideways until most of his body went numb.

"That is a useful trick," Sebastian noted.

"Yes, it is," Agni couldn't keep the mild enthusiasm out of his voice. He was proud of this skill. It had saved his life on several occasions before he was Agni, he didn't always have access to good medical attention back then and often had to settle for what he could get. Not something he felt proud of but if he had died then he wouldn't be with Soma now. Sebastian started with the most obvious cut on Agni's forearm. He sliced open the sleeve of his shirt and began to clean the wound. He had taken off his soiled gloves but didn't seem concerned about getting Agni's blood on his hands because wear surgical gloves. Agni watched in silence. Sebastian's fingernails were black but apparently not venomous as some rakshasas supposedly were.

"Ask," Sebastian instructed.

"What?" Agni didn't understand.

"You have questions. If you ask I will answer."

Agni paused for a moment. "Why?" Even in the darkness, he could see Sebastian tilt his face to regard him. His irises were red but no longer glowing or frightening so Agni held the gaze.

"The best course of action would have been to grab your prince and retreat form the line of fire, no?"

"But…" Agni tried to interject but Sebastian talked over him.

"You knowingly placed yourself in danger for the benefit of my master and my daughter. My kind considers this a debt that should be repaid. And I always repay my debts, Mr. Agni." He grabbed a roll of cloth bandages and started to wrap them around Agni's arm as he spoke. "I do not lie. You may ask me anything you wish." With that, he fell quiet again.

Agni took several seconds to maul that over. Sebastian had finished with the cut on his arm by the time he decided to take advantage of the offer. "Mr. Sebastian do you… care about Lord Ciel?" He had to know the answer.

"Earl Phantomhive is my master. From the moment I became Sebastian I have belonged to him. I gave my word to serve him and I will do so with ever fiber of my being. However, in the way you mean, no." Sebastian answered simply as he cut away another section of Agni's clothing to study his injuries. Agni felt his stomach drop, he should have expected that.

"Aliya?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"She is my daughter. Despite my best efforts, I find it hard not to care about her." Agni allowed himself to feel a marginal amount of relief. He hadn't been completely wrong about Sebastian, after all.

"Are you a strong 'demon'?" Agni said seriously, he watched Sebastian sort through the medical supplies with a steady, unafraid expression.

"Yes," even an opportunity to boast about his skill didn't make Sebastian change his stony expression. Sebastian walked behind Agni to tend to the cuts on his back. Agni didn't try to turn his head to keep an eye on him.

"What do you really look like?" he blurted out without thinking. Instantly nervous, he glanced to the side but didn't turn around to face the demon that was tending to his wounds. He had no reason to be concerned, Sebastian answered him almost immediately.

"My true form is repulsive. Even a strong human, like Mr. Agni, would not want to see it."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked" Agni quickly replied.

"You apologize too much." Sebastian threaded the surgical needle he would need to patch the wound on Agni's shoulder. Agni lapsed into silence as he tried to understand everything that had been thrown at him in the last half hour.

Sebastian pressed a finger into a deep cut on the back of Agni's left shoulder. The man didn't flinch. Having confirmed that Agni couldn't feel a thing, Sebastian bit down on his own wrist without a sound. Carefully, he held his bleeding hand against the man's open wound. Sebastian watched the amount of blood he let trickle out of him and into Agni. The blood almost defied gravity as every single drop snaked its way into Agni's bloodstream instead of falling down his back. When satisfied, Sebastian willed his skin to heal. He swiftly stitched the deep gash closed without Agni noticing that he had done anything else. "I have just a few more bandages to place," Sebastian explained as he set the needle to the side. Agni nodded without a word. Sebastian helped the man wrap bandages around his waist but didn't pay much attention to that task. Instead, he watched as the demon blood took effect. Already, Agni's injuries were starting to close up by themselves. In a few minutes would be nothing left but the stitches Sebastian had sewn.

**Seasnake: I did some research, so, hopefully I got all of my facts about Hinduism correct. Let me know if I got something wrong and I'll fix it. **


	38. Break

**Seasnake: I figured it would be better to publish something short now than something longer later. The final fight will begin next chapter but the characters needed a little break before entering the battle to save the world. Warning: a scene of torture in this chapter.**

"Agni, is everything alright?" Soma noticed the butlers' approach.

"Yes, Lord Soma," Agni said reassuringly. He flexed his arms to ward off the pins and needles that were a side effect making himself numb. His white pants had a few blood stains and fresh bandages wrapped around his legs. The long, black, button-up shirt the reapers had provided was a little tight around his arms but otherwise fit. His turban had been used to absorb blood earlier so his white hair was uncovered. Sebastian walked a little in front of him, carrying the chair, medical supplies, and Agni's bloodied shirt.

"What do we do now?" Soma glanced about from where he sat on the grass.

"We wait for the reapers to locate her base of operations, then we fight," Sebastian answered calmly.

"Can you kill her now that she has Aliya?" Ciel eyed his butler.

"In a hand to hand fight, yes. If she takes precautions I might have some difficulty."

"What about other demons? Surely others will notice what is happening," Agni pointed out.

"There is no doubt they have noticed, not that they can do anything, thanks to the reapers," Sebastian sounded bitter, the first emotion he had shown in a while. The humans gave him confused looks so he continued. "The shinigami are the judges of mortal souls and thus often must act as mediators among beings like me. Their position allows them to temporarily seal off Earth to all other "realms" and prevent travel by any "supernatural" means. They did this before coming to fetch me, in case I had any intention to flee to anywhere their jurisdiction does not extend. I'm afraid, no one will come to our aid until sunrise."

"Damn it, she planned this perfectly," Ciel cursed and clenched his fists angrily. Tanaka stood with great pain in his eyes as he watched the earl but didn't move to comfort the boy. Soma shifted to sit on his knees and started to mutter solemn prayers in Hindi. Agni seemed unsure how to be helpful so stood frozen. Sebastian placed the chair near Tanaka and motioned for him to sit. When the man obeyed, Sebastian set about quickly bandaging his burned arm.

"You heard Sebastian, that's not going to do any good," Ciel grumbled at Soma. The prince didn't pause his prayers or give any indication he heard.

"Young Master." The three servants strolled back over. Each one was covered in varying amounts of soot, only Maylene's hands and feet were dirty, Bard up to his elbows, and Finny looked like he had rolled in the ashes.

"The roof caved in but a couple of rooms on the west side were salvable. Nothing useful, unfortunately," Bard reported in a military tone.

"That is not surprising."

"Go away!" Finny's sudden shout made several people jump. The boy pointed angrily at the approaching reapers carrying weapons.

"We're just delivering these," Knox quickly said to pacify the humans.

"Here." One of the nameless reapers shoved a hand gun and ammunition at Bard.

"This is an older model," the chief remarked.

"It was what we could find on such short notice."

"Most of this doesn't fit my rifle," Maylene sorted through the brown sack of bullets that a shinigami had just handed her.

"We don't use human fire arms. We got what we could. Just take it," the reaper grumbled then trudged back into the darkness.

"Don't give him that!" Bard snatched the rifle away from the reaper who was about to pass it to Finny. "I wouldn't trust him to know which way the bullet goes." Finny nodded, not looking at all offended.

"Would you stop that?" Ciel glowered at Soma, still praying. The earl had heard him mutter both his and Aliya's names intermixed with the assorted gibberish.

"Sebe!" Grell skipped up to Sebastian.

"Leave before I kill you," he instantly shut down the reaper's advances.

"But…"

"I am not in the mood to listen to your pathetic…"

"I've got word from HQ!" Grell wailed.

"Then talk," Sebastian didn't stop glaring at him.

"The bosses say you can rest at the library until we can find the angel," Grell smiled.

"A way of apologizing, doubtless," Ciel muttered. "Fine, we accept."

* * *

"Up!" There was no movement.

"She said, up!" A man's hand yanked her face from the ground. Ariel stood in a pristine white dress, her softly glowing wings providing the only source of light in the room.

"Break the creature's fingers again. One at a time, slow enough so she has time to heal between, you know the routine. A chain clanked against the wall as a cultist moved to reach the hands shackled to the stone. "If that filthy demon wanted to help you he would have taught you to break metal." Ariel used the flat of a knife blade to lift the prisoner's chin. The sound of cracking bones echoed through the room. "We have hours to go, little daughter. More than enough time for some fun. What shall I do first? Lift your skirt, carve a list of your sins into your chest, or rip those pathetic wings from the sockets? It's been a while since I last set you alight with lamp oil, you remember that little game, don't you?" She flicked the knife to cut a shallow gash across her face. "I'm in a good mood so, despite your disobedience, I'll follow our old rules. Ask Mother really nicely and Mother will let you keep something unbroken."

The angel suddenly gasped as teeth sank into the wrist holding her knife. She yanked her hand away from the girl's face and stared with disbelief at the bleeding bite marks.

"Fuck you," Aliya hissed. Furry crossed Ariel's features and she lashed out. She stabbed the dagger repeatedly into her daughter's chest. Aliya coughed as blood rushed out of her mouth. The angel stood back with a triumphant look. "Is this it?" Aliya spit red saliva onto her mother's dress. "Bitch, I've survived worse."

"Wings first, it seems." Ariel sheathed her knife and grasped the base of one wing. She held the girl's shoulder down her other hand then started to twist.

"Do your worst, c…" There was a sickening pop and the sound of tearing flesh. Even with her newfound pride and desperate stubbornness, Aliya released a pained scream.

"Ciel!" the earl jolted awake to Soma shaking his shoulders. "You were having a nightmare," Soma stared down at him with a concerned expression. Ciel pushed the prince away and sat up. He wiped sweat off his forehead as he tried to get his bearings.

"Where are we?" Ciel looked about. He and Soma were sitting on a burgundy sofa in the middle of a room made completely out of pale blue stone. The whole space was filled with a strange light that Ciel had never seen in a human house.

"We're at the Reaper Library, apparently," Soma sat back and crossed his arms. "All of us humans passed out when they brought us here." He nodded towards the large futon that a dozing Maylene, Bard, and Finnian shared. "Agni woke up first but we needed to rest anyway so he didn't disturb the rest of us." The Indian butler in question sat a short distance away in an overstuffed chair. He sat upright but had his eyes closed. Tanaka occupied a similar chair next to the other manor servants, he wore the clean suit provided by the reapers and appeared to be dozing. Ciel searched the space he found the only black in the room. Sebastian stood perfectly still by the door, he faced the others but didn't seem to looking at anything. Ciel rubbed his face to clear the remnants of sleep from his mind and notice that he still didn't have his eye patch. He hoped he hadn't lost it.

"I didn't think my first exposure to something outside of humanity would be like this. I already checked, the doors are locked. They let us rest here but they don't want us wandering around. Especially, your rakshasa. They don't like him very much, do they?" Soma kept talking. Ciel mentally marveled at how the prince never seemed to shut up and how easily he substituted "rakshasa" for "khansama" as Sebastian's title.

"You just now figured that out?" Ciel grumbled and dropped his feet to the floor.

"Where are you going? I told you the doors are locked," Soma watched him.

"I need to ask Sebastian something," the boy barked at the protective prince. Soma didn't stop him as he walked over to Sebastian. "Well?" Ciel glared up at his demon.

"Yes?" Sebastian tilted his head to regard the boy with a blank expression.

"Anything important happen while I was asleep?" he demanded in a voice that clearly showed his indignation.

"No. And I did warn you that that would be an effect of traveling right before we stepped into the portal," Sebastian answered neutrally. Ciel pressed his mouth closed, annoyed that he didn't remember that. "What did you dream?"

"What?"

"What did you witness in that nightmare?" Sebastian asked again. Ciel stared at him. It wasn't a particularly bad breach of etiquette but this was a surprisingly forward question. He considered refusing to answer but annoying Sebastian right before the demon would protect his life probably wasn't a good idea.

"I saw Aliya bite and curse her mother," Ciel answered as simply as possible and left out the rest. It had felt like he was inside Aliya's skin, so he didn't want to think about the pain in the dream.

"I see," Sebastian nodded calmly. Ciel tried but couldn't see any emotion in his eyes. "I recommend you go back to sleep. The reapers will alert us when they find the angel."

"Can't you do that?"

"I could, but there are more of them for the task. It saves me both time and energy to let them handle it." Ciel nodded in agreement then headed back to the couch.

"Just be ready to fight," he said over his shoulder to Sebastian.

Soma moved back to his own couch to give Ciel room to lie down. The prince lay on his stomach and regarded Ciel as he shifted into a comfortable position. "Ciel, do you think we will get Aliya back alive?"

"How would I know?" Ciel turned on his side.

"I think we will," Soma said softly. "The heroes should win, right?"

"This isn't a story and we aren't heroes," Ciel snapped.

"Why not?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"If anyone in the world is a hero it would be Agni. And I'm trying the best I can to be a good man," Soma pushed himself up to watch Ciel. "You aren't always nice but you helped me."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"Soma…" Ciel growled.

"Sebastian isn't a good person but he's trying to save his daughter so that would make him a hero in this fight."

"I mean it, shut up."

"Trying to destroy the world makes her a villain."

"Real life doesn't have a happy ending, you twit!" Ciel bolted upright and shouted at the prince. Soma stared at him with sad eyes and Ciel returned it with an angry glare.

The prince slowly rolled over so that he was no longer facing Ciel. "Sometimes it does," he muttered. Ciel sighed with annoyance, and perhaps a shred of sadness that he refused to acknowledge, and lay back down.


	39. The Beginning of the End

**Seasnake: Ahh! I'm sorry this is so late! *bow**bow* So sorry. Something came up, then I was uninspired, then something came up. A thousand apologies. And I promise, honestly, that I won't keep my wonderful readers waiting for the ending. It will be written and posted in a timely fashion. **

**There will be a considerable amount of blood and violence from now until the final battle is finished. Nothing too icky but I figured I should warn you. As always, let me know about any grammatical mistakes and I will fix them. Also, I've never been in the Clock Tower but I did my homework before writing this. So, enjoy.  
**

"Young Master." Ciel woke up to the sound of Sebastian's voice. The boy became aware that his butler was carrying him before he opened his eyes.

"Are we leaving?" Ciel grumbled as he blinked awake.

"Yes." The earl glanced up at Sebastian then took stock of his surroundings. They were still in the library. Agni stood next to his prince, ready for anything. Soma was taking a moment to fix his hair tie that and come out while he was sleeping. Maylene and Bard collected their weapons, Finny sat on the futon yawning, and Tanaka seemed to be keeping a steady eye trained on Ciel and Sebastian.

"Where is she?" Sebastian pivoted, without warning the boy in his arms, to face William. Ciel overcame the momentary disorientation from being spun around and studied the reaper. William and five other reapers waited nearby.

"London. She has released her murders on the streets of the city. Most of the reapers have already been deployed to deal with the chaos."

"There's a riot in London?" Ciel demanded.

"Her mole in Scotland Yard must have dealt with the police," Sebastian remarked carelessly.

"And what are you lot doing about it?" Ciel glared at the reapers in the library.

"We are the best combatants. We will come with you to deal with the rouge angel."

"Are we going to fall asleep again?" Soma asked.

"No," Will said bluntly but didn't feel the need to explain. "Gather around." He took a few steps forward. Everyone wordlessly obeyed. Somehow, one of the reapers made a white, glowing, circle appear and hover motionless in the air. "After you," Will said rudely to Sebastian. The demon didn't dignify that taunt with any sort of retort. Sebastian strode forward and calmly leapt into the white portal. Ciel stifled a gasp as he felt himself falling. After a disorienting moment the earl and his butler stood in the middle of a London street.

Ciel immediately noticed that the nearby lamps weren't lit. Nobody was around but the distant sound of gunfire reached his ears. The figures of Soma and Agni materialized next to Sebastian. The prince almost lost his footing as he landed on the pavement but Agni caught him. With a small shimmer, Maylene, Tanaka, and Bard with Finny clinging to his sleeve for dear life appeared in the air. They each dropped a few inches to the cobble stones and gazed around in amazement. Behind them the reapers appeared, completely unfazed by the teleportation.

"Where is the riot?" Ciel addressed Spears. It was a little hard to sound commanding from his position but Sebastian made no move to place his master on the ground.

"Five blocks in that direction," Spears nodded.

"Your four go," Ciel ordered his human servants. They stared at him with disbelief. "You won't be any use against Ariel, you were barely any help against the reapers. Go do what you can against other humans."

"But…"

"Are you sure?"

"Young Master, your safety..."

"Can't we…"

"It is not your place to question the master. Do as you are told," Sebastian brutally shut down their protests. The humans stared at him with varying degrees of shock and fear. Tanaka appeared angry that a demon was holding his master yet he was being forced to leave.

"Aliya…" Finny whimpered.

"We'll save her, stop wasting time," Ciel ordered. The servants bowed, gave a final worried look to their master, and then ran towards the sounds of fighting. Ciel turned away and refused to look at them leave. He refused to humor the idea that he would never see any of them again, or that he cared whether they died or not. Soma and Agni watched the servants leave with apprehension. They knew Ciel was right, humans wouldn't be much help against an angel, still it was disconcerting to rely so heavily on Sebastian.

_"It really looks like he wants to eat him,"_ Soma whispered to Agni in Hindi. The prince kept a weary eye on the demon.

"_What will we do?"_ Agni muttered back. He watched Sebastian but he had said he had never been to India before so it was unlikely he knew Hindi.

"_We need to save the world first. Then we can get Ciel away from him,"_ Soma said with conviction. Agni knew the coming battle would be harrowing but his prince's confidence gave him strength to fight.

"Are we ready?" Sebastian glanced to the two.

"Yes," Soma nodded proudly then started to walk down the street. In a few steps he realized he had no idea where he was going and turned to the reapers. "Where did you say she was?" Ciel gave an exasperated sigh. Will didn't bother to roll his eyes and simply pointed towards the iconic clock tower.

"London is the capital of the mortal world in many aspects. She has taken control of a recognizable part of the skyline."

"Of course," Sebastian murmured. Obviously, this made sense to him and the shinigami in a way the humans didn't follow. "You first," emotion reappeared in his tone as he directed William to take the lead.

The reapers jogged towards the nearby tower with Sebastian, Soma and Agni in tow. Ciel privately fumed at being carried but knew he couldn't run at this pace so stayed moodily silent. The inhuman beings lead them through the base of the clock tower. There were no hidden angelic traps, no lurking cult members there to stop them. In fact, they reached the door to the actual tower with no trouble. They arrived at a plain wooden door with the words "CLOCK TOWER" inscribed next to the handle in simple letters. The woman with the naginata reached for the handle first but froze. Her hand hovered a centimeter above the metal. She glanced to William for instruction.

"What's wrong now?" Ciel questioned. William T. Spears scrutinized the unimpressive door then took half a step back.

"We can not enter," he said simply.

"Are you daft?" Ciel struggled to keep his voice below a shout. He was fed up with these useless creatures.

"She has declared the tower and belfry as part of Heaven. We have no jurisdiction." Will adjusted his glasses with the tip of his spear.

"Fuck the jurisdiction! Ariel is going to kill everyone," the earl officially lost his patience.

"There are laws of the universe which we…" William started to say.

"There isn't going to be a universe soon enough." Ciel crossed his arms in a huff. Spears shook his head.

"That does not matter, if we disregard our station we become no better than vermin."

"You would rather die?"

"Yes."

"Fucking useless…" The earl started to squirm in Sebastian's arms. "Put me down."

"Young Master, there are hundreds stairs to climb, it would be better if I did not," Sebastian responded smoothly.

"You really can't help?" Soma confirmed.

"We will attend to the riot."

"Fine! Leave us," Ciel snapped then looked to the clock tower door. Either Sebastian miraculously opened it with his hand, without dropping Ciel, and faster than the earl could see, or he had some sort of telepathic power that Ciel didn't know about. No matter how, the door opened for them.

Soma moved to step in first but Agni held him back and took the lead himself. They found themselves in an impressively tall stair well. An iron balustrade followed the steps upward. Soma tilted his head up and saw only layers and layers of the spiral staircase. Agni glanced behind him. Sebastian gave him a swift nod so the Indian began the assent. Soma didn't want to turn his back to Sebastian so the demon carried his lord up second and Soma took the rear.

Minutes passed, filled only with the sound of their echoing footsteps. Agni scanned the stairs ahead and any rooms they past but nobody else was around.

"Shouldn't it chime?" Soma broke the silence.

"What?" Ciel tried to crane his neck to catch sight of the prince.

"The clock, isn't it supposed to chime on the hour?"

"What of it?"

"I was just wondering," Soma muttered and fell silent again.

"No doubt she has disabled the mechanism," Sebastian answered his unspoken question. "From what I can smell we have five to ten minutes before she starts whatever she has planned."

"Oh." Soma glanced over the railing to see how far they were from the bottom. Quite a ways, enough to make him dizzy. The prince quickly returned to staring at the steps in front of him.

Things proceeded smoothly, far too smoothly. Ciel knew this was too easy. Thus, he wasn't practically surprised when Sebastian jolted to a sudden stop. Agni climbed the steps with no problem but as Sebastian followed, he hit his forehead against something. The demon staggered backward one step. Soma let out a squeak and managed to come to a halt before he bumped into the butler.

"Sebastian?" Ciel asked. Sebastian shook his head slightly to get his bearings. He looked every bit as if he had just bumped into a wall except nothing barred the staircase. Agni paused a few steps above them as Sebastian scrutinized the empty air.

"I was afraid of this," the demon sighed and carefully set Ciel down. The earl didn't protest when Sebastian put him down or held out a hand. Nothing was there but Sebastian's palm found something hard. He pressed against the invisible solid with a scowl. "A barrier, demons are banished from entering this place," he explained. Sebastian pushed against the barricade to see if it would move. It didn't have an ounce of give so he changed tactics. The demon pulled back one arm and punched the see-through barrier as hard as he could. A ripple went through the air but easily repelled his strike. Sebastian recoiled from the blow as if physically pushed. The demon held his hand with a slight grimace of pain on his face. The mortals couldn't help but wince, watching that was as bad as seeing a human punch a brick wall. "This one is particularly strong," Sebastian remarked as he realigned the broken bones in his hand.

"Can you find a weak point?" Ciel suggested.

"I doubt that." He knelt to study the stair. Sebastian hadn't bothered to replace his soiled gloves so his bare fingers traced the line of brown dust drawn on the step. A few flakes came off on his skin and he raised them to his lips. Soma made an eww face when he tasted it.

"The angel's blood?" guessed Ciel.

"Aliya's," Sebastian corrected. "Good."

"How can that be good?" Ciel barked. He seethed at the mental image of Ariel draining Aliya's blood.

"Two reasons. Aliya's blood is only half holy, weaker than if the angel used her own." Sebastian straightened from his crouched position. "It also means Aliya is still alive. This banishment would never work if she were dead." The level of hope present in the stairwell rose considerably with that news. "I can go no farther," Sebastian said, "you will have to continue without me. Once you reach the main room of her ritual search for hexagrams painted in Aliya's blood. She will have these marks strategically placed depending on the contours of the space. Destroy or obscure one to three of these marks and I will be able to break through."

Ciel paused a second to process this information then instantly took charge. "If that's the way it is, Agni," he turned to the butler. "You will have to fight Ariel alone while Soma and I search for these marks."

"I understand," Agni gave a solemn nod in response.

"What's a hexagram?" Soma asked.

"A six pointed figure. They will most likely be a little larger than your open hand," Sebastian supplied.

"Let's not dally," he prodded Soma and Agni into action. Ciel crossed the threshold of the barrier. He felt the pressure in his ears shift but that was all. Soma eyed the line of blood suspiciously. He carefully stepped over it in one long stride. The three humans gave the immobile Sebastian a parting glance then continued their climb. Sebastian stood perfectly still and watched them ascend.

A thick blanket of silence, even more oppressive than before hung over their heads. Agni continued cautiously in the lead while Ciel and Soma flanked him. Ciel tried not to slow them down but was quickly becoming short of breath. Undignified it may be, but he was glad Sebastian had carried him so far. "I hear ticking," Soma unexpectedly announced. The distinct sound of a clock did, in fact, fill their ears. Agni took a detour from the stairs to step into a side room. Ciel and Soma followed him. They were greeted with the sight of large machine made of gears. It looked oddly rectangular and not as large as one might think. Off the floor in almost a bench-like fashion, it was crafted of dark painted metal. The tops of the largest gears stood roughly six feet. Agni scanned to room for any enemies, Ciel took a moment to appreciate the machinery, and Soma noticed something odd. "Is it missing pieces?" Sections of the mechanism did seem to be gone, it still ticked but had a couple large holes in it.

"Forget it," Ciel ordered and led them back to the stairs.

The ticking followed them as they continued upwards. Agni felt palpable tension in the air, the angel must be close. He slowed on the last few stairs and cautiously led the two boys into the belfry. Wind hit them as they came to the open air. To their right were windows with an impressive view of London, on their left the great bell. Ciel's breath caught in his throat when he saw the bell. It had been torn from its mount and now sat slightly sideways on the floor beneath where it usually hung. Big Ben lay as a bloodied fallen giant. Blood? Ciel tilted his head upward to try and get a view of the upper belfry.

"Lord Ciel!" Agni reacted. He pulled Ciel back, away from the bell right as a figure in white leapt from the upper railing.

Ariel landed gracefully on the curved metal. Her shimmering wings held her balanced in a perfect, authoritative pose. She wore a pure white dress made of flowing fabric cut in a distinctly improper fashion for England, the skirt only went down to her shins. Her long blond hair was styled elegantly as if she had already proclaimed herself queen of the world. The angel crossed her arms and surveyed the humans below her with heartless blue eyes. This was the first time Soma and Agni had gotten a good look at her and they were understandably in awe.

"Three of you? This is better than I anticipated." Ariel flipped a braid over a shoulder.

"Where's Aliya?" Ciel demanded. Ariel held out her palm skyward. A single drop of red liquid landed in her open hand as if on command. The humans accepted her wordless offer to steal a glance upward.

"Kali…" Soma held a hand over his mouth. At their angle they could just see Aliya strapped to the steel structure. Her wings were full spread and bolted in place to the metal. Thin wires held up her limbs and cut into her skin of her wrists and ankles. Her head hung limply like that of a corpse. Whatever clothes she had worn had been replaced with a simple gray dress that was horribly stained with blood.

Right as the humans began to doubt if she still breathed a hollow tick sounded through the open room. With the noise, Aliya twitched. The gears missing from the mechanism below had been secured to the walls and metal supports of the belfry. No winding device could be seen but each gear held a metal chain in its spokes. With every click the gears synched the chain tighter. A pearl silver chain disappeared upward towards the sky and a deep gold chain vanished from sight on its way downward. The two colors met at Aliya the chain wrapped around her body disgustingly tight. As they watched, the unearthly creation ticked again. Aliya cringed as a few more links of the chain were pulled from above and below to bind her torso.

"She is serving her purpose like the good little girl she is," Ariel called their attention back to her. "Those chains will pull down the sky and crack the ground. I will have a blank canvas. She will be crushed by the weight of the worlds, of course. So that slow death will have to satisfy me, even though I wanted to wring her impudent little neck myself. She picked up some horrid manners from you, Ciel." The angel bragged. She curled her fingers over the drop of blood in her palm and watched the humans. Ciel seethed at her words. The earl struggled to make himself think logically. This was the end, he couldn't let his anger get the better of him. Ciel readied himself to speak but Soma beat him to it.

"Agni," the prince calmly turned to his butler and spoke with a maturity that he rarely displayed. "Kill her."

"Jo aagyaa."


	40. Blood of an Angel

**Seasnake: I don't actually know the distance from the stairs to the wall in the belfry of the Clock Tower. However, this fit my story. Forgive me if that is incorrect, I've never been in the Clock Tower. Just imagine that Ariel somehow magically rearranged things.**

Ariel flicked her wrist and released a handful of dark red needles in their direction. Agni pulled both of the boys to the floor as the projectiles sailed over their heads. Ariel stood on the bloodied bell with her one hand on her hip. She held out her hand and made a taunting "come at me" gesture to Agni. He took a few steps forward to place himself between the threat and the two boys but he did not take her challenge. Agni stood perfectly calm and ready for her to make the first move. He knew that she was considerably faster than he was and could attack at long range. He would not be baited into careless combat against such an opponent. In all honesty, Agni anticipated he would come out of this fight maimed or mortally wounded. But that didn't frighten him, he just needed to hold out until the angel was killed or at least until Sebastian had the fight under control, then his prince, his god, Soma, would be safe. Agni let out a breath, steeled his mind to ignore any injury he received, and entered his trance state of Samadhi.

Soma took the lull in action as an opportunity to grab Ciel's wrist and drag the earl further into the belfry. Ciel barked in protest but this really was not the time to argue so didn't struggle. Soma jogged around the area that housed the great bell while scanning the floor and walls for any marks. Ciel ran to keep up. Once they were several paces form Agni, Ariel made her move. She lunged in the direction of the two boys. Whatever she had anticipated Agni to do, she was wrong. The butler leapt forward and caught a handful of white feathers. He yanked the startled angel back through the air towards him, into striking range. Agni hit her hard in the sternum. The force of the blow sent splinters of her own bones into her internal organs and completed her backward trajectory where she crashed into the wall. Despite his victory, Agni didn't advance on her again. If he got too close she would be able to duck around him and attack Soma.

Ariel sat up almost instantly. "Hmph," she flipped her hair over her shoulder and ruffled the wing Agni had grabbed as if to dislodge something unpleasant from her feathers. She spit blood and a chip of a rib bone onto the floor in a horridly unladylike manner as she easily got to her feet. "Very well, we'll play it that way."

Soma, meanwhile, noticed a metal staircase leading up and moved towards it. Ciel didn't have a chance to protest as the prince led him upwards. The sound of shattering bricks made Soma glance towards Agni and Ariel. Ciel refused to be distracted from his mission, however. His efforts were rewarded when he spotted a six pointed star on one of the walls. The earl yanked his hand away from Soma's. "Go on," he ordered when Soma looked like he was about to protest. The prince nodded and hurried to the upper level. Ciel sat down for better leverage and reached for the mark. He could just touch it. He started to scratch the blood off the wall with his fingernails. Not the most glamorous way to save the world, but it needed to be done. Above him, Soma found one of the smallest bells painted in blood. He pulled up his sleeve and scrubbed frantically at the design.

Agni ducked as Areil lashed out with her wing. She kept her hands in front of her so he couldn't counter attack. He ignored the shards of brick that exploded from the wall and rolled to the side as she tried to kick him. Agni fainted right and punched left. His fist caught Ariel in the chin and made her bite her tongue. Completely unfazed by his blow, the angel charged forward. He managed to hold up both arms to block but couldn't get out of the way. Ariel hurled him into a metal support beam with enough force to break bones. All the air was forced out of Agni's lungs with a pained grunt as first his spine and then the back of his skull struck the wall. Noiselessly, the man crumpled limply to the floor and a stain of red collected in his white hair.

Ariel nodded her approval then turned her gaze to where Ciel struggled with the mark on the wall. Her inhuman reflexes alerted her just in time to avoid Agni's counter attack. The angel retreated several steps backward and raised an eyebrow at the man's quick recovery. Undeterred by his collision with the wall, Agni stood in a fighting stance, ready to avoid her next assault or go on the offensive if she tried to do that exploding light trick she did last time.

Soma glanced at his butler below then hurriedly searched for the next mark. Dried blood stained his sleeve but the hexagram on the bell was now nothing but a smudge. Ciel decided that scratching off one point of the design was good enough. He resisted the urge to pick the dirt from under his nails and got to his feet. The stairs shook violently, forcing him to drop back to hands and knees. Ariel had just punched the support pillar holding up the stairs. Agni ducked around the metal post and tried to lure her away from the boys. Ciel scrambled up the last few stairs to the higher level and away from the fighting.

"Enough of this," Ariel growled. She ripped two bars of metal from the stairs and held one in each hand. The thin metal poles weren't pretty weapons but had sharp edges that promised to be deadly. She threw one at Agni's torso. The butler barely sidestepped in time. He didn't have a chance to regain his footing before Ariel lunged. She used her wings to propel herself at the man and ram the twisted metal into his chest. The crude metal plunged into his body but Agni barely felt it. He moved to fight back but Ariel acted first. She whipped one wing around and struck him in the side of the head with enough force to knock him off his feet.

"Agni!" Soma froze in shock as he watched Agni loose. Ciel sent one glance down at the triumphant angel then ran to the nearest wall, desperately hoping to find another symbol.

The angel turned her back on the fallen man and looked up smugly at the boys. "I would worry about your…" Ariel tried to gloat but choked half way through her sentence. She glanced down at her stomach where the tip of her own improvised weapon protruded from her skin. Before she could register this, one of the bones in her wings was snapped in half by a human grip and she was thrown to the far side of the belfry by her broken appendage. Agni stood panting, a little bloody but perfectly fine. As Ariel righted herself Agni took stock of his own body. He gently pressed a finger to the tear in his shirt. His wound had disappeared.

Soma stared awestruck from the top railing. The young earl had a vague idea what was going on but spotted a hexagram painted on one of the support beams. This one was fortunately within reach. Ciel wiped his hand over the design. He felt the dry flakes stick to his sweaty palm then heard a crash. For a brief moment the belfry filled with the sound of breaking glass.

"Shit!" Ariel cursed as she wrenched the piece of metal from her torso.

"Miss Ariel," Sebastian calmly stepped into the belfry.

"Demon." The angel stood up in an effort to be as menacing as possible with a blood stain on her formally pristine dress. Sebastian quickly surveyed the room. "Congratulations," Ariel fussed with her disarrayed hair, "your master has won you the privilege to watch the end of the world. Killing me now won't stop it." Everyone looked to Sebastian, hoping he wouldn't confirm her words.

"Freeing Aliya will," he answered. Soma and Ciel took the hint and moved as to be as close to the girl as they could.

"Those chains are extensions of reality itself, best of luck breaking them," Ariel smirked and adjusted one of her pearl combs.

"Mr. Agni," Sebastian turned to his companion. "Kindly keep her busy a moment longer while I attend to my daughter." Agni nodded. With one leap, Sebastian landed on the ledge closest to Aliya. Soma and Ciel watched but couldn't reach her. Sebastian snapped the wires holding her wrists and ankles. The moment her limbs were free, Aliya seemed to regain consciousness. She opened her eyes and writhed about in a panic. "Keep calm," Sebastian instructed. Aliya finally noticed he was there. She opened her mouth to say something but another tick sounded. The chains cinched tighter, squeezing her torso, and a causing a spurt of blood to come out instead of words.

Ariel stood still, not bothering to move. She held up her nails to study. "Don't bother, you can't save her. And stop looking at me that way, human," she sent a seething glare towards Agni. "As long as your blood is like that we are evenly matched." Agni ran forward to attack her anyway.

Sebastian moved to examine the gears placed around the belfry while Aliya struggled. She tugged desperately at the chains but they dug into her skin. She couldn't even get her fingers beneath them. Soma muttered a quick prayer. Ciel watched Sebastian try to rip the gears off the wall and fail. Tick. An ominous creak came from somewhere unseen. Tick. A louder sound this time. The noise of something heavy slowly moving. Tick. Ciel looked up, that noise was coming from the sky. Tick.


	41. Broken

**Seasnake: Be warned, sh*t happens.**

"What do we do?" Soma looked to Ciel. The world was literally crumbling around them, Sebastian yanked unsuccessfully at the chains, Agni held the angel at bay, and the boys stood uselessly to the side as Aliya hacked up blood. Ciel growled in a way that clearly meant he didn't know but didn't want to admit it. He grabbed the railing and leaned as far over the gap between him and Aliya as he could.

"Aliya!" she turned to look at him. Panicked tears stained her cheeks. She couldn't speak or even breathe. The crushing pressure wound about her middle only increased steadily with each tick. When reality came crashing down the force would reduce her to a bloody smear. "Are you going to let your mother win? This relies on you being the gray winged creature. Did you eat a soul or didn't you?" Ciel didn't know if what he was saying made sense or not, but he couldn't just stand and watch. "Become a demon and stop the ceremony! That's an order."

"What?" Soma asked. Ciel didn't know which part of his speech the prince didn't understand, nor did he care so he ignored him. Aliya stared at him for a moment then nodded. She ripped her wings away from the wall, sending feathers and blood raining down on Agni and the angel. Her struggles became more determined but no more effective.

"Young Master." Sebastian landed in front of the boy. Ciel whipped his head around to look at his demon. "In order to win this battle I require an advance in payment." The corner's of Sebastian's mouth turned up in his signature hungry smile. "Is that acceptable?"

"What?" Soma said again, and was again ignored.

A torrid of emotions flashed behind Ciel's eyes then settled into cool confidence. "This is an order, you will save Aliya and kill the angel."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian knelt before the boy. There was a moment of pointed silence. Ciel stared down at the demon. Sebastian tilted his head up to grin at the boy. Soma watched with confusion. Aliya writhed and flapped her wings. Ariel threw a punch and Agni cleanly ducked. The pained groaning of the sky and creaking of the ground increased to an almost deafening level. Ciel's answer could barely be heard over the unearthly noise.

"Take it, then."

Too late, Soma realized something was very wrong. "Ciel!" The prince only saw Sebastian loom over Ciel, their faces far too close together, his left hand over his right eye, and Ciel grimace. Soma ran to close the distance between him and the earl. He barely made it in time to catch Ciel before he hit the floor. "Ciel!" He crouched down and pulled the limp boy into his arms. Sebastian didn't spare the concerned prince a glance. He just stepped away from Ciel, licking his lips with a satisfied smile. Soma gasped in horror and almost shoved Ciel away when he got a look at the boy's face. No mistake, he had the unfocused eyes of a corpse. Ciel was dead.

Soma tore his gaze away from the earl's body to gape at Sebastian. But the demon had his back to the prince. Sebastian placed a foot on the safety railing and paused there just long enough for massive black feathered wings to unfold from his coat. Wings extended, he leapt from the upper level of the belfry.

"Child," Sebastian hovered in mid-air in front of Aliya. He reached out to gently cup her face in a fatherly gesture. His touch instantly stilled her struggles and made her lock eyes with him. "Focus on me and nothing else," he instructed. Once he had her undivided attention Sebastian flapped a fraction closer, tilted Aliya's face up to meet him, and opened his mouth over hers. Aliya gave her father a confused blink but followed his silent command and opened her bloody lips. With a cough that raked his entire upper body, Sebastian closed the gap between them. Aliya moved to pull away when she heard the disgusting wet hacking noise but Sebastian held her still.

Ariel jumped away from Agni but didn't pat attention to where she landed. She squinted at the father and daughter, trying to figure out Sebastian's plan. Agni didn't waste a glance upward and Soma couldn't see from where he held Ciel's body so neither of them were privy to the scene. Aliya moved her hands from the chains to grasp her father's wrists to try and push him away. She didn't understand what was going on until she felt something slide down her throat. The girl stilled. Sebastian pulled back a fraction and watched as the girl's instincts kicked in. The instant Aliya understood what was happing, she changed her mind on the matter. Instead of struggling, she craned her neck to nuzzle her father's chin, begging him to give her more. Sebastian smiled, he couldn't argue with that. He lowered mouth to hers and choked up another mouthful.

Aliya completely forgot about her mother, about the end of the world, about the horrendous pain she was in. All that mattered was her father's loving attention and indescribably wonderful substance in her mouth. Her first meal hadn't been anything like this. Dorcell's soul was small, tough, and tasted like tree bark. Sebastian just had pulled it out of the burning man and handed it to her. But this was completely different. A whole meal, a whole lifetime, she could taste a universe begin and end. She would never be able to swallow this whole or without her father's help. Her stomach was crushed into a bloody mass but this slipped past her lips to fill her every pore. The liquid fire pulsed through her veins, soothing her, and caressing her wounds. How had she survived so long without knowing this sensation? Her father loved her, he had to, to share this with her. Aliya wanted to be a demon. She wanted to know this empowering, delicious glow again. She wanted share meals with her father. She never wanted to give this feeling up.

The girl's thoughts brought a change through her body. Her eyes glowed a deep red with an intensity to match Sebastian's. Aliya single-mindedly ate her first full meal with deep, greedy gulps. Black crept into her feathers, overtaking the gray. "No!" Ariel tried to lunge at Sebastian. Agni caught her unprotected wrist, twisted her into an arm bar, and smashed her face into the floor.

All too soon for Aliya's liking, Sebastian moved away. As she savored the last taste, reality came flowing back. Aliya jerked with realization, and a flood of pain. She looked at her father, at the chains, at her mother, struggling to dislodge Agni, thought of Ciel's words, and screamed. Aliya forced air back into her lungs and flooded her system with unholy power. She was not the gray winged creature she was a demon. As the keystone went out of balance, the entire ritual shattered. With an earsplitting crack, the chains flew apart. Metal shrapnel scattered in all directions.

"No!" The angel shrieked again, although she was far too late. She smacked Agni away and jumped to her feet. She stood up just in time to see Sebastian gracefully land on the top of Big Ben, triumphant grin on his face and Aliya in his arms. Ariel glared at him with unbridled furry. Sebastian smirked back, clearly pleased to be back in control. Aliya rested her eyes and took low shuddering breaths. Soma walked to the railing and looked down at the scene. He couldn't leave Ciel on the cold floor and therefore carried the dead weight as best he could.

"Oh? Nothing to say?" Sebastian mocked the angel. She hissed between barred teeth, any shred of sanity she once possessed was gone. "Prince Soma, Mr. Agni, I must insist that you leave immediately. My opponent and I are about to engage in a battle not meant for human eyes." The angel dropped to one knee and clasped her hands together as if in prayer. Sebastian recognized the movement as preparation for battle. He let her do so. Nothing could save her now.

"Agni," Soma called from the top of the stairs. He struggled to climb down without falling or dragging Ciel across the floor. Agni immediately snapped out of his trance state and ran to his prince.

"Prince Soma."

"I'm fine. But we can't leave Ciel here." Agni froze when he saw the corpse. But he didn't question and respectfully took the dead boy from Soma. Sebastian watched them hurry down the stairs and past the crouching angel. With a small jump he landed next to the door leading down.

"Father…" Aliya looked up at him groggily.

"You did well, child. Now go with Soma," he said as the two humans reached the door. Agni wasn't positive what was going on so silently followed his prince. Although, he did trace his eyes over the awesome wings Sebastian displayed. Soma glared at Sebastian with both hate and fear but wasn't the kind of person to abandon a friend. The prince held out his arms and allowed Sebastian to gently pass over Aliya. She wrapped both arms around Soma's neck and kept her wings tight against her back so he could carry her.

The light of a noon time sun started to radiate from the angel. "I suggest you hurry," Sebastian said calmly then turned his back to them. Soma didn't need further encouragement and darted down the stairs. Agni followed but risked a glance over his shoulder on the way out. The monster he had seen standing in his doorway the other morning was silhouetted against the angel's light. Black feathers and a clawed inhuman hand were all he needed to see. Agni swiftly turned his face away and hurried after Soma.

On the way up the stairs had seemed unreasonably long and it was even worse now. Soma ran as quickly as he could without tripping over his own feet but didn't felt like he was going nowhere. A tremor shook the tower as they descended. Nightmarish shrieks could be barely heard from overhead but the ticking had gone quiet.

"I was worried about you," Aliya broke the silence.

"You are the one who almost died," Soma chastised to take his mind off the eternal stairs.

"I was still worried," Aliya buried her face in Soma's shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm not," Soma answered but didn't know what to say about Agni's new healing powers. As for Ciel…Aliya could have a few minutes piece before she heard that news. Unless, she already knew what her father had done but Soma didn't think that was the case.

A mighty crack followed by the sound of thousands of shards of glass accompanied them on their trip downward. After what felt like years of running they reached the bottom. Even with the adrenaline pumping through his system, Aliya was getting heavy in Soma's arms. The girl helpfully reached out and opened the door for Soma on the way out. Soma ran what he judged to be a safe distance from the tower then turned around to watch. One of the four clock faces had lost its glass. He couldn't see anything supernatural but an air of foreboding surrounded the structure. At that moment a blood curdling shriek tore through the night air. Soma shuddered at the deathly sound but Aliya grinned. With a satisfied sigh, she relaxed in Soma's arms and closed her eyes.

**Seasnake: I want to make it clear that Sebastian was not kissing her. He was throwing up in her mouth. Okay, explanation. In my mind, demons are carnivores and, like wolves, demons eat food that is hard to digest and to carry. So, they will eat a soul and then regurgitate it for their child. I know cats don't do this and Sebastian is more cat-like than dog-like. However, birds do this too and demons do have wings, so there. Either way, it was just a strange idea that came to me and I couldn't resist putting in my fanfic. **

**P.S. (Before anyone messages me and says that this is out of character because Sebastian would never do something so undignified) Sebastian is a demon. If this is how all demons feed their young than there is nothing improper or embarrassing about it.  
**

**Next chapter will be up by the end of the week, promise.**

**Spoiler: Ciel may or may not stay dead. **


	42. The End of the End

Soma and Agni had found a peaceful street corner to sit down and rest. The sounds of the riot had quieted down but they didn't see the servants and didn't want to get to far away from the tower until they knew who won the fight. Soma leaned against the brick wall of a building with Aliya dozing in his lap. Her gray dress was a mess but still covered enough not to be embarrassing. Her wings lay comfortably folded beside her. The feathers had turned mostly black with only thin gray stripes on each feather. Agni stood scanning the area for any movement. He had set Ciel down on the cobble stones. It looked like the boy was sleeping. Soma kept sending Ciel sympathetic glances but he couldn't be mad at Aliya for what her father had done. He just hoped Sebastian wouldn't kill her too. This thought made him hug the girl to his chest.

"Soma?" Aliya woke up as he held her. She blinked up at the prince with concern. "Is something wrong?" Soma held his sleeve over his face and sniffled. "Agni? What is it?" Aliya turned to the butler when Soma didn't give her an answer. She noticed the tear in his black shirt and jumped to her feet. "You're hurt!"

"No, I'm alright, Miss Aliya," he assured her. Aliya opened her mouth to question further but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The girl whipped her head around to stare down the dark street. Soma and Agni trusted her hearing and followed her gaze.

Sebastian calmly appeared out of the gloom. Soma and Agni breathed a sigh of relief but Aliya wasn't surprised to see him. The demon seemed unharmed but his clothes were beyond hope of repair. Tears and fresh blood stains decorated his outfit from head to toe. Two particularly large slices covered his back, as if his wings had ripped through the fabric.

"Did she suffer?" the girl abruptly asked.

"Yes."

"Did she beg?"

"In disgrace." Aliya let out a long sigh and closed her eyes.

"I can still feel her," she clenched her fists. "I know she can't hurt me anymore, but…but she's still my mother." Sebastian stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her reassuringly.

"Shhh," he quieted the girl's mumbling. Soma glanced down at Ciel's still form. How could the same man who just committed murder hug Aliya like that?

"If she's dead does that mean…" Aliya turned away from her father. She wanted to ask Ciel about the terms of his contract. Ciel hadn't moved. That was odd. She thought he would wake up when Sebastian arrived. "Ciel?" She went to shake him.

"Miss Aliya," Agni blocked her way. Now she had no doubt something was wrong. She took a better look at the earl. She couldn't sense his soul.

"Ciel!" She shoved Agni''s arm out of the way and knelt next to the body. "What happened to him? He can't get hurt. He has a contract!"

"…" Soma and Agni didn't know what to say. Sebastian allowed for a dignified pause before answering his daughter's question.

"I could not complete the terms of my contract without an advance in payment."

"'Advance in payment'?" Aliya stared down at Ciel's lifeless face. "Why would you need…Oh my God…" Realization sunk in and settled in her stomach as a painful burn. Tremors raked her body. "No…" Panic, horror, and disgust. She clutched both hands over her mouth.

"Aliya?" Soma didn't know what she was saying. Nausea forced her to let go of her mouth and take gasping breaths.

"I…I…" Her hands clawed at her torso where she could still feel the warm glow of her meal inside her. "I ate him!" Her shriek shocked the two humans.

"What? But he's right here," Soma didn't understand.

"His soul!" Aliya stared unseeingly at the cobblestones. "He…he tasted so good." Her voice cracked as if she couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

"His soul? You can do that?" Soma stared at Sebastian.

"Yes," the demon answered simply. Agni moved closer to his prince.

"Ciel…tasted…" Aliya's breathy voice was almost impossible to understand. She had no water left to cry tears but was starting to hyperventilate.

"Please calm down, child. This is how we survive," Sebastian ignored the distress of the humans.

"But…no, it's not…" Aliya looked up at the three males desperately. "It's Ciel. He's not food, he's Ciel." Sebastian gave a disappointed sigh.

"I should have tried harder to keep you from becoming friends."

"You killed him!" Soma accused.

"As he agreed to three years ago," he turned his cool, inhuman eyes on the prince. "In exchange for the death of everyone involved with the death of his family and my service to him until the wish was fulfilled, I would take his soul and do with it as I pleased." Sebastian held up his left hand to show the contract symbol had vanished. "Your word, rakshasa, is accurate. I have no interest in crude flesh, but I do eat humans." Agni took another step to position himself between Soma and the demon.

"You don't care!" Aliya shouted at her father.

"I have no reason to. He held little significance to me."

"But…" Aliya lost the strength to sit up and rested her forehead against the dead boy's chest. "Fix him? Please? For me? Father, please."

"Miss Aliya, the dead can't come back," Agni tried to explain.

"Most of the time you are correct but there is nothing wrong with his body," Sebastian intervened. "If his soul is returned…"

"Please. You already saved me, but please," Aliya interrupted.

"That is not my decision to make. I gave his soul to save you." The girl lifted her head.

"Show me how to give it back," she all but demanded, the confidence back in her voice.

"If that is what you want," Sebastian nodded. "Mr. Agni, Prince Soma, kindly turn around."

Sebastian crouched next to his daughter. Soma was inclined to watch but Agni took the demon's advice and kept his prince from looking. A few muttered instructions, a wet cough, and then they heard a strangled gasp. "Ciel," Soma jerked away from Agni at the sound. Ciel's eyes were open and looking around in confusion. He lay on the ground as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. Aliya gave an unintelligible wail and wrapped both arms around his neck. Soma followed suit and yanked the boy, and girl clinging to him, into an enthusiastic hug. "You're alive!" Soma cried huge tears into the baffled boy's hair.

"Wha…" Ciel muttered as he tried to regain his bearings. He was alive? For a moment he thought he was in Hell, getting strangle hugged for eternity. "Alive?"

"I should mention," Sebastian stood to the side of the tearful display. "His soul was partially digested so he doubtlessly has some minor memory loss. And will, without doubt, subcome to a severe mental illness and die in his mid-twenties."

"That doesn't matter, I just couldn't eat him," Aliya whimpered into Ciel's shoulder.

"Wait!" Ciel gave a futile struggle to free himself from the loving tangle of limbs. "Someone tell me what happened!"

"Sebastian killed you, then Aliya broke the chains, then Sebastian killed the angel, then Aliya gave you your soul back," Soma rattled off.

"So, Ariel is dead."

"You just came back to life and that's what you care about!" Soma turned Ciel around to shout in his face. "Aliya was crying over your dead body! We carried you from the tower! And you only care about your revenge?"

"I didn't ask you to do any of that. I made the contract for myself. I don't care what you think about my decision." The earl met Soma's accusing, wet eyed, stare.

"You're selfish," Aliya muttered into his shirt. "But I love you anyway."

"Yeah," Soma's expression softened. "You're still my best friend. Even if you did something stupid." He caught Ciel back into a hug.

"And my moody big brother," Aliya agreed.

"Sebastian," Ciel squirmed around and managed to look toward the demon for help.

"Our contract has been fulfilled, Ciel. I am no longer your servant," he reminded the boy.

"But…"

"What my daughter chose to do with your soul is no concern of mine and certainly doesn't change our agreement. So, I advise you to watch you tone when speaking to a noble demon such as myself," Sebastian tilted his head to one side. Ciel bit his tongue to stop the commanding words that he was about to say.

"Mr. Sebastian," Agni watched the demon. He kept a cautious but fearless eye on the dark man. "If you no longer serve Lord Ciel, where will you go?"

"I am undecided," Sebastian held his chin. "By giving up her meal, Aliya is unable to leave Earth. And souls as…useful as Ciel's are rare so it will be difficult to find her a replacement. Likely, she will have to stay in this plane of existence a while longer." Aliya's wings had lost their black hue. Instead of black with gray stripes, each feather was now gray with thin dark stripes. "It will be hard to compete with other demons for fruitful long term contracts now that I have to bring her with me. I can't leave her unattended on Earth. Mr. Agni," Sebastian addressed the man while the children continued to rejoice in the fact that they were alive. "Do you still consider me a friend?" Agni was caught off guard by the sudden question.

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"I swear on the blood my daughter and I share that I have no desire or intention to cause harm to you or your prince." Agni hesitated to answer so Sebastian continued. "I could also swear by the dark lord that I serve, if you prefer."

"No, that's alright." Agni didn't want to think about any creatures stronger or more evil than Sebastian. "Ciel was ten when you met him." Agni wasn't asking so Sebastian didn't answer. "You eat the souls of children. They will never have another chance.* I don't know if I can ever call you a friend again." Sebastian didn't comment.

"Let go of me!" Ciel's protests continued to be ignored.

"Heh, look, the sun's rising," Aliya said. Soma turned to look and held Ciel captive so that he also had to watch the pretty sight. Sebastian sent a glance to his left but nobody else noticed. "I didn't know if I would see another one."

"I planed not to," Ciel grumbled.

"Don't say that."

"Ciel Phantomhive," Sebastian spoke up.

"What?"

"Until I can locate other lodgings or Aliya's wings turn black, we will continue to take advantage of the comfortable life we currently live at your estate."

"Didn't you just inform me that you're no longer my servant?"

"Yes, adjustments will have to be made," Sebastian considered.

"What about us?" Soma asked.

"Do as you wish. But I'm sure Aliya wants you to stay in contact," Sebastian dismissed them as his responsibility.

"Hey!" a boisterous shout came from overhead. The group looked up to see Meraiah, the messenger demon standing on a nearby rooftop. She jumped down to join them on the ground, giving everyone a clear view up her feathered skirt. "So?" she landed several next to Sebastian.

"The situation has been dealt with. Speak with the reapers for details," he said curtly.

"You know," she sent a sidelong glance towards Aliya, "you probably don't have to keep that alive anymore." Aliya made a rude gesture at the female demon.

"She is my heir and she will stay that way. I'm sure this night resulted in quite a few favors I'll be able to call in if I perceive any threat to my kin," Sebastian delivered a smooth threat. Meraiah just shrugged.

"Have it your way. I just need conformation of death on the angel before I go pester the shinigami."

"The Clock Tower has all the conformation you require. Assuming scavengers haven't licked it clean."

"Fine. Later." Meraiah spread her wings to take off. "Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you to speak with Master Bookkeeper soon. I'm sure several people have tribute to pay." With that she leapt out of sight.

"What was that?" Soma asked, bewildered by the brief conversation.

"Nothing of importance. Just congratulations for winning my battle," Sebastian assured. "Shall we search for the Phantomhive servants?"

*Reincarnation

**Seasnake: I missed my deadline by thirty minutes. My time zone, at least. One chapter to go. **


	43. Resolution

"Aliya," Soma approached the girl.

"Huh?" she folded her wing out of the way so that she could look at Soma over her shoulder. She wore a proper young gentleman's suit complete with cravat. The fire had destroyed her wardrobe and she had convinced Sebastian to make her more outfits with pants for her new one. The demon had agreed to her begging but only if she promised to take dignity in her appearance whether wearing boys' clothes or girls' clothes.

"What are you reading?" Soma leaned on the back of the couch and stole a glance at the open book in her lap. The nonsense symbols shimmered on the page like a mirage but he could make out a couple illustrations. One depicted a jeweled bracelet and the other showed a clawed hand holding a gemstone over a bloody corpse.

"Study material, does it hurt your eyes to look at it?" Aliya lifted the book to give him a better view.

"Only a little." He blinked a few times as his eyes started to water.

"Heh, guess you really do accept my existence," Aliya snapped the tome shut. "What did you want?"

"You said you could show me something fun once your father left the house?" Aliya grinned and leapt from her seat.

"Follow me." She grabbed Soma's hand and led him out of the room.

Ciel glanced up from his papers as Soma and Aliya ran past him towards the stairs. He really didn't have the energy to care about where they were going. For the past week since the angel's death the two Indians had been living with them. And Sebastian seemed to have no intention to ever live apart from them. Just the idea of living with Soma for the rest of his life made Ciel tired.

"More tea, Lord Ciel?" Agni asked.

"Yes." Ciel returned his attention to the business report while Agni poured him another cup. Other than Tanaka and Agni taking over the bulk of Sebastian's previous duties, life hadn't changed much. Ciel had originally kept his eye patch but Soma got on his case about it. The prince insisted Ciel had no reason to act injured when his right eye worked perfectly fine. Ciel had told him to piss off but then all of his eye patches had mysteriously disappeared from his room. So, now he was readjusting to depth perception with both eyes. He had bumped into three walls so far and was determined not to do so again.

Ciel reached for his tea while he read over the report on how much damage the London riot had caused. The city was understandably in a bit of an uproar. The mass disappearances had finally come to public attention but that didn't help provide an explanation. Many of the people involved with the riot were claiming temporary insanity or visions of the apocalypse. Nobody believed them, of course.

The earl took a sip of his drink and tossed the papers aside. He was going to live. Seven days later and he was still mauling that over. For three years he had planned to never reach adult hood, and now he was going to live until his twenties. Roughly a decade. Not a particularly long life span, true, but far more than he ever expected. He never thought it would be so hard to cope with the idea of living. But it was.

So far he was trying to accept the fact just by continuing his daily life. He woke up every morning to Tanaka opening the blinds and helping him get dressed. Tanaka was now in charge of waiting on Ciel and managing the household while Agni took over cleaning duties and cooking. Sebastian still preformed information gathering tasks, substitute tutoring for Ciel, and helped manage the Phantomhive business. Other than that, he occupied his time with training Aliya in a plethora of skills, the occasional house hold chore, and disappearing at random intervals. Nobody bothered to question where he went, especially after he implied that it had to do with settling matters among his fellow demons.

Maylene, Bard, and Finny wondered about the changes but could tell they weren't going to get a straight answer and just accepted it. The three of them were still blissfully in the dark about Sebastian's and Aliya's true nature. None of them cared that there were supernatural forces at work in the world and probably wouldn't care if they lived with demons but Ciel didn't want to dump that on them. It would be inconvenient to explain it to them, anyway. They had been told that the evil angel, Aliya didn't want it to be common knowledge that thing was her mother, had captured Aliya just because she needed an innocent young girl as a sacrifice. They believed it and Aliya kept her wings out of sight when they were around so there was no trouble.

Soma and Aliya were living better than Ciel. Neither of them had much in the way of work and just played all day. Aliya only had to read the demon books, that Sebastian had now deemed safe for her to look at, and study with her father. Soma had organized a relief effort for victims of the London riot but that wouldn't keep him preoccupied for much longer. Ciel didn't know what to call those two. Soma used to be a guest and then an employee of sorts but now Agni had a permanent position in the earl's staff and Soma kept a close eye on Ciel as if he were the earl's self appointed body guard. As for Aliya, Hell if there was a word in the English language to describe Aliya's social standing in the household.

Aliya hadn't changed much since the death of her mother. The biggest change was just in the way she acted towards him. Unlike Ciel, who privately admitted that he treated others callously when stressed, Aliya became unbelievably clingy when she was upset. She still had nightmares about her mother. Ciel had been to that Hell and would be surprised if the girl's night terrors stopped before the one year anniversary. His hadn't. After the ball where her mother made a surprise entrance, Aliya had grabbed Sebastian's leg and refused to let go. But now Soma, Agni, and regrettably Ciel were also considered worthy of her clinging. A title Ciel did not want. Apparently, now that he wasn't doomed to be eaten by her father, Aliya had no qualms pestering him with her sisterly affection. Between her and Soma Ciel's patience was perpetually thin.

"Lord Ciel, you look troubled," Agni spoke up.

"I'm trying to decide which would be kinder. Breaking off my engagement? Or getting married only to leave her widowed shortly afterward?" Ciel mused. He raised his teacup but a sudden holler from outside made him jump and spill his drink. "What the Hell?"

Outside the window, Aliya preformed a nose dive only to pull up at the last second. She laughed as Soma clung to her in terrified excitement. The girl flapped her wings and rose to a comfortable height to hover. Soma pushed stray hairs out of his face and said a few words to Aliya. The girl nodded happily in response then noticed the two humans in the window. She pointed them out to Soma, who waved at Ciel and his butler enthusiastically. Aliya held the teenage boy securely in her arms as she hovered. The size difference made their position look unsafe but it would be hours before Soma's added weight would make Aliya tired. Agni waved back at the prince. "I should have expected that," Ciel groaned and turned away from the window. Aliya and Soma exchanged a few more words before the girl spread her wings and jetted upward. The prince clutched her shoulders and let out an excited squeak that could be heard through the pane of glass. Agni watched for a moment longer but decided that Aliya wouldn't drop Soma and returned to cleaning up the spilt tea. Ciel mentally fumed, why were those two so happy?

At first Soma and Agni were cautious around Sebastian. But the demon pacified them with a collection of lies about how he didn't normally eat children, that Ciel was an odd case, and something about how his kind didn't necessarily prevent reincarnation. Ciel didn't listened to all of it. He hadn't needed to in order to know that it was 80-90% bullshit. Sebastian was making good use of his ability to lie now that he wasn't contract bound to tell the truth. Whatever he said calmed Soma and Agni enough to accept Sebastian's presence. They held one whispered conversation in Hindi before they decided not to fight him. They still didn't trust Sebastian, though. They were reluctant to let Aliya and Sebastian be in the same room together without supervision and didn't let Ciel anywhere near the demon. Ciel didn't get it. They knew Aliya was aspiring to be a creature from Hell but they doted on her. Perhaps they hoped to convert her or at least make her into one of those "kind hearted rakshasa" they kept mentioning.

Ciel ignored the happy shouts from outside. "More tea, Agni," he commanded and sat down in his chair again. The butler didn't take offence at his harsh tone and obediently poured him a replacement cup. Ciel opened his company's recent portfolio. He had already donated money to the relief effort. Should he donate more for the sake of publicity or not?

"Aliya left her book out again," Sebastian casually strolled into the room. He held the tome that Aliya had abandoned.

"When did you get back?" Ciel glanced up.

"A moment ago. What are your plans for lunch, Mr. Agni?" He addressed the Indian without looking at him. He went to a decorative trunk set in one corner of the room and popped open the latch.

"A casual meal, Sheperds Pie," Agni smiled.

"Yes, that will do nicely," Sebastian agreed. He placed the book with its fellows inside the chest. The human servants had been warned to never touch the trunk upon pain of death, so the artifacts were relatively safe. Naturally, the books had survived the fire without any damage.

The mansion had been rebuilt better than before. Ciel had wanted it to be the same. However, the earl wasn't the only one with a say in things now. Sebastian could have repaired the building but he complained of fatigue from killing an angel and saving all of existence to the shinigami and the glasses-wearing-soul-collectors had reluctantly done the leg work. Per the demon's instructions, the bedrooms had been redesigned. Aliya now had her own full suite. A short walk away from her living space was Sebastian's slightly smaller room; he didn't need a large bedroom when he hardly ever slept, after all. Soma had a new living suite that he absolutely loved and decorated as he pleased. Despite his adamant persistence, Agni had been given a modest bedroom across the hall from Soma's. The interior of Ciel's rooms had stayed the same but Sebastian had made sure to arrange things so that nobody could enter the earl's bedchambers without first passing Soma and Agni's doors. Just an extra assurance to the guests.

"Sebastian," Ciel spoke up, "you aren't my butler anymore so what title do you want?"

"I care little." He clicked the chest closed.

"And if Soma is going to stay here, then shouldn't he do some work?" the earl voiced his complaint.

"He keeps Aliya company." Sebastian glanced distastefully out the window where his girl was doing summersaults in the air.

"What does Aliya do?" Ciel countered.

"You owe her your life. She will live in your house as long as she wishes." Ciel had nothing to say to that so returned his gaze to his papers. Sebastian gracefully adjusted his coat and glided to the door. "I'll be remodeling the landscaping if you need me." Agni gave a friendly nod and Ciel ignored him. Sebastian hadn't come within five feet of him all week. He slid reports across the table top or passed things to someone else who then handed it off to Ciel. The earl wondered if this was going to turn into a permanent practice or just until Soma and Agni calmed down.

Ciel concentrated on his business report as Agni collected the tea cups. The undignified slam of a door made the earl jump for a second time in the past half hour.

"Soma needs herbal tea immediately!" Aliya ran into the room carrying Soma bridal style in both arms. She used one wing to shut the door behind her.

"Sea-sick," Soma moaned while holding a hand over his mouth. Agni hurried to help the prince but didn't look overly concerned.

"I'm sorry, I did one loop too many," Aliya apologized as she set Soma down.

"It's *hic* fine," the prince insisted despite how green he looked.

"Sit by the window, Lord Soma, I'll bring you something to calm your stomach." Agni led his master to a chair next to the open window then hastily left the room.

The winged girl made sure that Soma was resting comfortably before she joined the earl on the other side of the room. "Hello, Ciel." Aliya pushed the papers off the couch and lounged next to him.

"I'm working," Ciel blocked any attempt at conversation.

"I've been thinking," she ignored his rude comment, "I'm going to live forever. If it's just Father and me, I will get lonely."

"Then get married, or whatever demons do."

"We have something similar to marriage. But I'm not interested. Other demons will want me just because I'm a novelty." She stretched into Ciel's personal space and rested her head against his shoulder. He scooted away but was trapped by the couch arm. Aliya paid no mind to his discomfort and continued to lean on him. "Do you think I can be a nice demon? Like Soma and Agni say."

"I doubt it."

"Maybe… I think it would be easier if you stayed with me." She sent a glance over to Soma, to make sure he wasn't listening.

"I'm going to die in ten years, Aliya," Ciel looked away from his papers to study the girl.

"Heh, there are ways to get around that. I just read about one that involves removing the soul from the body and putting it in a significant object," she flashed him a demonic little smile. Ciel stared at her. She rested one hand on top of his. "I know that Soma and Agni have a firm grip on their humanity. It would probably be cruel to curse them with immortality. However…" Her finger tips gently caressed the blue gem on his thumb. "It's risky and Father might not approve. And, even if he let me do it, he would probably insist on making you work as my servant for eternity. All of that considered, Ciel, would you be opposed to the idea of becoming immortal?"

**Seasnake: Done. I gave you an open ending on purpose. Infer what you will. **

**I'll keep writing for other fandums at random intervals. And maybe I'll write something else for Kuroshitsuji. But, I'll be tempted to slip Aliya into that fanfic too. Heh, heh, I've come to like her.**

**Anyway, ****I'd like to thank everyone one last time for reading my crazy, first ever fanfic that my best friend talked me into writing. I had fun and I hope you did too. **


	44. Epilogue, by Agni

A Tale of Innocence and Misfortune

Commissioned by Prince Soma Asman Kadar

Written by Agni

Translated from Hindi to English by Agni

Edited by Sebastian Michaelis

In a time closer to the present than the world would wish

There once lived a rakshasi of incredible power

She lived her days adorned with blood of innocents

Her deeds too many and too foul to retell

She longed to overthrow the gods and rule all realms

Yet she was not mighty enough to accomplish this feet

She hid among the human world while she devised a plan

She chose to mother a child with another of great power

A child of such parentage would surely be strong

She would use this child as a weapon for her war

With this in mind, she began her search for a mate

On a far away island, there dwelled a rakshasa

Although his power was great he chose to live alone

His name was unknown to both gods and men

He had a cruel nature and the innocent face of a liar

He cared little for the gods or his fellow creatures

Instead, he amused himself with the torment of mortals

As the rakshasi plotted, he searched for entertainment

The rakshasa came across a mortal child ten years of age

His name was Ciel, of noble blood and great misfortune

The rakshasa came to the distraught child and said,

"I will grant you one wish but once this wish if fulfilled

I will eat your flesh and mind while you still live."

To the brutal offer the boy replied, "I accept.

I only wish to see my murdered parents avenged.

You will serve me until their killers are found.

You will strike the murders dead and I will stand in their blood

Once this is done then I will give you my life."

Their bargain was struck and the rakshasa grinned

The powerful trickster took the form of a human servant

Together, Ciel and the rakshasa began their search

Meanwhile, the rakshasi had her own hunt

She came to the far away island and saw the boy

She laughed at Ciel of noble blood and great misfortune

She was the source of the boy's vast troubles

For on her last trip to the island she killed his family

She laughed her full of the child then saw his servant

Despite his human guile she recognized his true shape

At once she chose to make him the father of her child

Although the rakshasa was mighty, he did not expect deceit

Through awesome trickery she lured the male to her bed

When morning came, the rakshasa did not remember her

He returned to Ciel's task without a second thought

Unaware was he that his child grew in the rakshasi's belly

Three years passed yet, no clue could be found

In this time, the boy did not pray or hope

He knew he was soon to die, he gave into his fate

The rakshasa began to suspect one of his kind as the culprit

Yet, he said nothing to Ciel, of noble blood and great misfortune

As the duo searched for her without success

The rakshasi raised her daughter to be her sickle

She taught the girl to fight, to kill without question

Whenever the girl made a mistake, as all children do,

The rakshasi beat her daughter, headless of her pleads

The child knew no mercy from her mother's hate

Yet, the rakshasi underestimated the creature she had spawned

With luck and bravery the girl fled her prison

Aliya was the name given to her by her mother

Aliya, the girl of potent lineage and dire fortune

She escaped her mother's grasp and ran to the faraway island

For two months the girl struggled for life, alone and lost

Then on a day of heavy rains, she encountered her father

The rakshasa was not pleased to learn of her origin

He despised his foul luck at having caught the rakshasi's eye

He turned all his hatred upon the rakshasi

His daughter, Aliya, reminded him of her mother

For this crime she too suffered his disfavor

Enter now to the tale, Prince Soma Asman Kadar

The twenty-sixth child of the king of Bengal and friend to Ciel

With the prince traveled Agni, the prince's servant

Ciel of noble blood and great misfortune boarded his guests

The friendship between the boy and the prince was strong

Both born to the high caste yet plagued with troubles

The boy lost both parents and lost his will to live

The prince grew up in loneliness and lost his sense of purpose

Through their friendship the prince found his way again

Out of gratitude and brotherhood, the prince made a vow

He swore to stay with the boy on the faraway island

To not leave his side until his troubles were solved

It is sad to report, the rakshasa kept Ciel in darkness

The rakshasa played the part of a human for the prince

He preformed his act and the prince let him stay with Ciel

As a human, the rakshasa hid much of his cruel nature

Believing his human lips, Agni called him "friend"

When they lived with the boy, the prince and his servant met Aliya

The rakshasa introduced her as his human daughter

At once, the prince and his servant saw her distress

Despite her bloodline, the girl was innocent

She cried in the night and begged for her father's love

The prince and his servant offered her friendship

The girl of potent lineage and dire fortune agreed

The prince and the rakshasi daughter played together

In a matter of days, the boy, the girl, and the prince grew close

In the large house on the faraway island

The three of them lived and laughed in each other's company

Upon seeing his daughter's joy, the rakshasa gave pause

His heart, although vicious, was not truly evil

That night he held his child close and whispered to her

He apologized for his behavior and made a promise that

He would no longer punish her for the sins of her mother

Aliya of potent lineage and dire fortune flourished

She stood beside her father with loving pride

She matched her wits with Ciel, besting him often

With Prince Soma Asman Kadar she learned to find joy in life

Like all children, she required only care to grow

Alas, this precious, fragile peace could not last

The rakshasi began her war upon the gods and men

She led an army of followers to lay waste to the island

She planned to collect her weapon then challenge the gods

With devastation upon the horizon, the rakshasa stirred

He wished to kill the rakshasi to complete his deal with the boy

And to avenge himself for the trickery she had done to him

But the rakshasi was cunning and cruel

She fooled several of her kind into thinking Aliya's father had done them some slight

As the rakshasa quarreled with his kinsmen, she appeared

Agni, the prince's servant, attempted to defend the girl but failed

The rakshasi threw him aside and stole her child

The rakshasa raged at the loss of the daughter he had come to love

His confused kin apologized for the mistake

They did not the rakshasi to rule but nor did they want her wrath

The rakshasa named them useless and chased them away

To save his child he required help and turned to the only source he had

To the prince and his servant, the rakshasa confessed his true nature

He gave them a peak through his illusion to the fangs beneath

He did not fear the consequences of such an act

For he knew the prince and his servant to be kind hearted and just

They would never harm the innocent Aliya because of her parentage

The prince and his servant were surprised and distressed

The prince finally understood why this friend had no hope

Despite their realization, they had no time to act

The rakshasi was on her way to fight the gods

The band traveled together to the rakshasi's place of power

At the door the rakshasa could go no further

For the tower was spelled against his entrance

The three humans continued as he stood in wait

Inside, they found the girl chained and the rakshasi

The prince and the boy hurried to undo the spell

As they worked, the servant held the rakshasi's attention

Agni, the prince's servant, had once learned martial skill

Since swearing his life to the prince he had only used his talent as a guard

Although not as strong as the rakshasi, the servant kept her busy

The prince and the boy broke the spell and the rakshasa came

Seeing her father and her friends gave the girl hope

Aliya of potent lineage and dire fortune struggled against her bounds

From her back spread a mighty pair of wings that shattered her chains

The girl was free but her mother still lived

The rakshasa led the other three to the door then said

"You have done your parts, now I must fight her alone.

Agni, you who once called me friend, take my daughter

Carry her out of danger and if I fall this day, I ask you raise her as your own."

The servant promised and took the injured child in his arms

The rakshasa turned to his opponent and the three humans fled

The tower rumbled around them as the two great beats fought

None of them looked back, for such a battle is not one for human eyes

Fire and smoke rose to the sky and the world stilled

The inhuman sounds and quakes subsided

Everyone waited for the victor to emerge

From the darkness of the sunrise came the rakshasa

The girl yelled with joy and ran to her father

The deal between the boy and the rakshasa was done

Ciel's parents had been avenged, his time was over

The boy accepted his fate but the girl did not

She begged her parent to let her friend live

The rakshasa granted her request and ended his deal

The prince hugged his friend and swore to never let him loose his hope again

The rakshasa no longer lived alone

For he shared a life with his beloved daughter

In turn, Aliya the rakshasi of potent lineage was never left wanting

Out of her harsh beginnings she found a purpose

Until the end of all things she swore to watch over the souls of

Ciel of noble blood, Prince Soma Asman Kadar of the highest caste, Agni the servant

And all those of innocence and misfortune

* * *

"Excellent," Sebastian nodded when he finished the text.

"You truly think so?" Agni asked.

"Yes, simplifying certain events and making my character sympathetic were definitely the right decisions."

"You don't mind that it's not as realistic?"

"That line I added about my character asking you to take care of Aliya isn't far from the truth. The angel would never have defeated me but in the unlikely event that I die Aliya, will be in your care. And you have no reason to feel guilty about adding a happy ending for your audience. I'm sure Aliya will love it once she reads this."

"I simply have never written before."

"Must you always second guess yourself? The main editing I did was take out your unnecessary praising of Prince Soma and correct a few grammar issues in the English translation."

"Yes, I had no idea you could learn Hindi so quickly."

"Here," Sebastian handed him back the manuscript. "Tell Soma it's ready to be sent to his publisher friends in India and save a copy for Aliya."

"Thank you for your help," Agni bowed his head slightly.

"While we're here I have a favor to ask in return."

"Of course." Agni waited politely while Sebastian removed a small box from his pocket. He opened the velvet lined jewelry box and carefully removed something bright white.

"Kindly hold this, I need to make sure it won't shrivel when it comes in contact with human skin." Agni held out his hand and Sebastian gave him a palm-sized object.

It took Agni a moment to recognize it as a hair comb. The polished, light-weight material of the bristles was milky white. Several beautiful white feathers were artistically attached to the comb, tied in place with thin, translucent binding. The whole piece seemed to sparkle despite there being no gemstones or anything shiny.

"Is this for Aliya?"

"I'm not entirely sure when to give it to her. Our kind doesn't celebrate birthdays," Sebastian mused.

"It's beautiful," Agni gingerly turned it over in his hands.

"It's all that's left of her mother."

"What?"

"I saved a piece of her wing. It's made of her bone, sinew, and feathers."

"Ah…" Agni eyed it with less reverence. An uncomfortable custom to consider. Although, Aliya had fought hard that day, she deserved a trophy of the enemy she defeated. "I think Aliya will take comfort in it."

**Seasnake: Hello everyone. Personal reasons have kept me busy the past 8 or so months but now I am back and hope to post more on soon. To anyone who read this story I would like to say a few things. First of all, thank you for your wonderful comments. It warms my heart to read them.**

**Second, for those who wrote critiques, I will take what you said into consideration. It will probably be a while before I decide to do another mass edit on this monstrosity of a story, but when I get around to it I will take note of your advice.**

**Third, to the people asking about a sequel, I don't know yet. I'm throwing ideas around but nothing has stuck yet. If I get a great idea for a second story I will write it. If I don't, I don't.**

**Fourth, to anyone out there who is artistically inclined and has free time, I would love a picture of Aliya. I truly love artwork (seriously, I spend forever on deviantart, tumblr, and go to art museums). I, unfortunately, can not draw very well. The second I try to add shading it goes terribly terribly wrong. Below is a link to the best picture of Aliya I can manage to draw. Anyway, if anyone out there would care to make something for me and give me a link to it, I would be ecstatic. I will put the best fitting one as a picture to this story with credit given to the illustrator in the first chapter. Unless, of course, the owner asks me not to use the picture. Any part of my story, doesn't have to be Aliya if you don't want to draw her, any medium. Any Kuro art that is at all related to the story, please. I'm not picky; I'm the one asking for a favor.**

**Finally, I never expected this amount of readership. I am so very glad that so many people got joy out of reading my work. I write for me but I share it to bring happiness to others. Knowing that my creativity, in at least some small way, affected other people makes all the effort worth it. Not that artwork wouldn't make it even more worth it. ;)**

**My picture of Aliya.V (Remove all the underscores _ It wouldn't let me post the address without them)  
**

** ht_tp:/_/_owlsnake11._devian_t_art _._c_om_/art/My-OC-Aliya-358448474**


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